As it happened | Rahul blames Punjab drug menace on Badals, names Cong CM choice

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is addressing a rally in Amritsar on Friday in his first visit to Punjab after the assembly elections were announced.

He is speaking at a rally in Amritsar’s Majitha, which is the assembly seat of cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the younger brother of Harsimrat Kaur Badal -- Union minister and wife of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Punjab will go to the polls on February 4, and the results will be declared over a month later — on March 11. Election campaigning will conclude on February 2.

Catch the live updates from Rahul Gandhi’s address here:

2:03pm: PM Modi claims to fight against corruption,then how can he support Akali Dal? The whole nation knows they have ruined Punjab

1:59pm: Congress party-run government will function democratically, unlike AAP government in Delhi

1:57pm: Guru Nanak said everything is yours, (but) Akali Dal say everything is mine

1:56pm: Together we will transform Punjab, says Rahul Gandhi

1:55pm: Punjab’s people must understand that this isn’t just an election for a government, but to save the state

1:50pm: AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal wants to be chief minister of both Punjab and Delhi

1:49pm: Amarinder Singh will be the chief minister of Punjab, says the Congress vice-president

1:45pm: We will fight for Punjab, and put those who have the state in jail: Rahul Gandhi

1:44pm: We will return Punjab’s people’s money back to them

1:40pm: I said four years back also that 70% youth are affected by drugs.Badals made fun of me. Now whole Punjab is saying what I said: Rahul Gandhi

1:39pm: Punjab is under the monopoly of one family - the Badal family, says Rahul Gandhi

The campaign, aimed at launching a mega-offensive against the ruling Badal family, will also see him addressing rallies at Rampura Phul, Talwandi Sabo and Bathinda Urban on the first day. The Congress vice-president is on a three-day election tour of the state.

The highlight of Gandhi’s tour will be joint public rallies with state Congress head Captain Amarinder Singh and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu at Majitha, Jalalabad and Lambi.

The Congress vice-president is addressing this rally the same day as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal are slated to speak at other places in the state.