Gandhi, who has recently been accused of adopting 'soft Hindutva' plank to appease the majority community, embarked on his roadshow after taking blessings from 11 Hindu priests.
Hindu priests, chanting mantras, blessed Gandhi as he reached the Lalgathi area, amid a heavy security cover, to launch the poll campaign in Madhya Pradesh where the BJP has been ruling for the last 15 years.
Before hopping on to a bus for the 15-km-long roadshow, Gandhi performed a 'puja'. Thousands of Congressmen thronged the road sides and jostled to catch a glimpse of their party chief, who set out in the bus along with senior party leaders.
He started the roadshow from Lalghati Chowk in an open bus near the airport. He passed through old city areas before reaching BHEL Dussehra Maidan. The roadshow covered around 18 km. He will address party workers later in the evening.
Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are due this year along with Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram.
Gandhi was received at the airport by Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath and senior party leader and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia among others.
As he stepped out from the airport, several Congressmen holding the party flags chanted "Rahul Gandhi Zindabad".
(With PTI inputs)