This has given the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose election campaign was launched by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 24, a headstart in Delhi. The Congress was beaten on the the same issue during the last Parliamentary elections when, due to confusion over the candidates and delay in declaring their names, the campaign was again launched very late.

There are, however, two contradictory reasons being given for the postponement of Sonia Gandhi's rally. According to senior Congress leader and party spokesman Sajjan Kumar, ``The meeting will be held after the party campaign is launched in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Moreover, the meeting couldn't have been held on November 3 as a Parliamentary Board meeting is scheduled for that day''.

Well-informed sources in the party, on the other hand, said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had not given permission for the rally to be held at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds.

Senior MCD officials, including Standing Committee Chairman Shanti Desai, however confirmed that permission had been granted for use of the venue on November 3. ``If there was a problem at the lower level of the department concerned, I am not aware of it yet,'' Municipal Corporation of Delhi Commissioner V.K. Duggal said.

As part of its campaign, the Congress has till date scheduled meetings and public functions mostly presided over by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit. But the party machinery is expected to swing into full action only after Sonia Gandhi formally launches the campaign as has been the tradition.