Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in east UP by next week

VARANASI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will begin her campaign in eastern UP in the coming week, a senior party functionary said on Monday.


Priyanka, in charge of eastern UP for the LS polls, is yet to visit the region. The last time she was in UP was in February, when she held a roadshow with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in Lucknow.

“Since Priyankaji is busy with selection of candidates and strategising, she could begin her east UP tour in the coming week or perhaps at the end of this week,” said Bajirao Khade, AICC secretary for east UP in Priyanka’s team. He added that candidates for Varanasi and other seats would be finalised soon.

Asked if Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel was being considered for PM Modi’s constituency, he said, “There has been no such decision as yet.”

Congress has a tough fight on its hands. In 2014, the party failed to win a single seat out of the 12 in east UP — Varanasi, Chandauli , Robertsganj, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Jaunpur, Machhlishahar, Azamgarh, Lalganj, Ghosi, Ballia and Ghazipur. BJP won 10 seats, while one was won by its ally Apna Dal (S) and one by SP. Both Congress and BSP had failed to open their account in the region.

In the 2017 assembly polls as well, Congress failed to win a single seat from the 60 assembly seats in the 10 districts.