Puducherry [India], March 20 : Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) founder Jose Charles Martin offered special prayers at a local temple after being allotted the "Watermelon" election symbol by the Election Commission for the upcoming Puducherry polls.
The party leader visited the Arulmigu Sri Puthu Karumariamman Temple to seek blessings before officially kicking off his ground campaign.
Following this, Jose Charles Martin campaigned in areas including Sundramoorthy Nagar, Kavikuil Nagar, and Muthuranga Chettiar Nagar, which are part of the Kamaraj Nagar constituency.
Earlier, he attended a special puja held at the Arulmigu Sri Puthu Karumariamman Temple and had darshan of the deity.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) for Puducherry, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, to chart the course for the upcoming Assembly elections.
In a post on Facebook, Rahul Gandhi said the meeting at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi focused on strengthening the organisation and "shaping a roadmap that reflects the voices, needs, and aspirations of the people of Puducherry."
"At Indira Bhawan, New Delhi, I met with the CEC for Puducherry, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, to chart the course for the upcoming Assembly elections. Focused on strengthening the organisation and shaping a roadmap that reflects the voices, needs, and aspirations of the people of Puducherry," Gandhi posted.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and other senior leaders were present at the meeting.
Voting in Puducherry will take place on April 9. Polling in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Keralam and Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23. The counting of votes for all four states and Puducherry will be held on May 4, the ECI announced.