January 29, 2017
January 29, 2017
New Delhi: After playing a major role in stitching the Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) alliance for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Priyanka Gandhi has saved the Congress first family's pride in the parliamentary constituencies of Rae Bareli, represented by her mother Sonia Gandhi, and Amethi, led by sibling Rahul.
Priyanka Gandhi has been named on the list of star campaigners for Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP has reportedly given the go ahead to the Congress to field its candidates on all the 10 Assembly seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli.
Akhilesh reportedly agreed to concede ground to the Congress after Priyanka wrote a letter to him, requesting him to withdraw the SP candidates from the Assembly seats falling under the two parliamentary constituencies. Priyanka is understood to have mentioned to Akhilesh that the Congress is not fielding any candidate from Azamgarh, Etah, Mainpuri and Etawah seats – the pocket borough of Yadavs – and therefore Akhilesh should also keep his earlier commitment to maintain Sonia and Rahul's dignity within their Parliamentary seats.
Though there was no official word from the SP, Congress leader Sanjay Singh, who heads the campaign committee of the party in UP, on Saturday announced that the party will contest all the 10 seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Singh claimed that the SP had assured the Congress that it will let the Congress contest all the 10 seats in these two Lok Sabha constituencies. "The Congress will contest all the seats and the party is firm on this resolve," he stressed.
The development came a day before Akhilesh and Rahul are scheduled to address a joint Press conference where they will announce their campaign strategy for the high-stakes Assembly elections in the State. Fielding of candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli was one of the contentious issues between the Congress and the SP during their talks to forge the pre-poll alliance.
With the catchline "UP ko yeh saath pasand hai", Akhisleh and Rahul will come together for the first time on Sunday to announce their poll strategy. Both the leaders will hold a joint road show across the densely populated areas of Lucknow.
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Pioneer.
