Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will sound the poll bugle for election-bound Punjab on November 4 from Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district bordering Mansa, where anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was killed earlier this month.Sangrur holds both political and symbolic significance for the Congress. With anti-drug activists coming under attack, particularly in the Malwa belt, the party hopes to put the ruling AAP on the defensive by making the drug menace a key campaign issue from Mann’s home turf.Party insiders said Rahul might also visit Jhota’s family.Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Pargat Singh said the Malwa region occupied a pivotal place in the state’s politics and that the party leadership would raise issues of public concern during Rahul’s visit.Congress leaders said Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot had shifted his focus to the state’s drug crisis after the party’s five-day campaign on public safety concerns.“Rahul Gandhi will set the tone for the party’s campaign and agenda on subjects that are expected to dominate the Punjab Assembly elections,” a senior Congress leader said. Party insiders said surveys conducted by the party high command had identified synthetic drug abuse as one of the foremost concerns among voters.Meanwhile, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal will hold a meeting with PPCC office-bearers, AICC secretaries, members of the political affairs committee and district Congress presidents at Punjab Congress Bhavan on Monday. He will also mobilise state party leaders for the November 1 ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally in Delhi.Venugopal’s visit also sends a message to state party leaders to work under the new leadership. As part of its outreach programme, the Congress will also undertake three 10-day cycle yatras across the Majha, Malwa and Doaba regions. Beginning on November 12, the yatras will focus on issues ranging from gangster-related violence and public safety to the killing of anti-drug activists.The yatras will be led by Pilot and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, chairman of the party’s Campaign Committee. Party sources said the proposed routes would be from Chamkaur Sahib to Talwandi Sabo, Amritsar to Dera Baba Nanak, and Amritsar to Hussainiwala.The yatras are expected to cover all three regions of the state through November as the Congress steps up preparations for the Assembly polls.