New Delhi, October 5: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also being seen as the party's top crowd puller in the campaign for Maharashtra and Haryana assembly polls, has reportedly left the nation ahead of the high-stake electoral battle. According to BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the Gandhi scion left for Bangkok via an Air Vistara flight early on Saturday morning. The claim by Bagga has been validated by few verified social media handles of noted Indian journalists. An official confirmation from the Congress was awaited by the time preliminary reports emerged. Rahul Gandhi to Gear Up Congress Campaign in Maharashtra and Haryana From Oct 10-19.

In his tweet, Bagga said Gandhi has left for Bangkok via an Air Vistara flight numbered UK 121, which departed from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport at 8:25 am in the morning. The airlines have not confirmed yet whether the former Congress president had boarded the flight.

Tweet by Tajinder Bagga:

'Over Confidence?'

Journalists Validate:

Gandhi Jabbed by BJP IT Cell:

Gandhi, who stepped down as the Congress chief following the party's humiliating loss in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, has been listed among the star campaigners in both Haryana and Maharashtra. He is scheduled to address rallies and lead road shows in both the poll-bound states between October 10-19.

Polls in both Haryana and Maharashtra are scheduled to be held in a single-phase on October 21. Final results are expected to be declared on October 24, when the Election Commission has scheduled the counting of votes.

In both the states, the Congress was ousted from power in 2014 and replaced by the BJP. Ahead of the upcoming polls, opinion polls have given edge to the ruling BJP. A recent survey of the ABP News-CVoter has predicted over 200 out of the 288 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. In Haryana, the same survey predicts up to 78 out of the 90 seats for the saffron party.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2019 10:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).