Congress projects Priyanka Gandhi as key vote-catcher in UP

New Delhi/Lucknow: The Congress on Tuesday released the list of its star campaigners for the upcoming UP elections. Priyanka Gandhi, who played a key role in clinching the alliance with the SP, is also part of the list. The list includes Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Others who find place in the 40-member Congress list include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Raj Babbar, Sheila Dikshit, Meira Kumar, Rajiv Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, R.P. N Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Since Priyanka has been playing a key role in the entire election process in Uttar Pradesh, she is expected to campaign in other places apart from Amethi and Raebareli. In the previous elections, she has restricted herself to campaigning in these two constituencies of her brother and mother, respectively.

Sources say that plans are afoot to have certain campaign programmes of Priyanka in the state. Also, the Congress does not want to over expose their star campaigner. But a few engagements of her are not being ruled out. There are also plans that she may make an appearance with the wife of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Though a final call on this will be taken in the days to come. If she decides to step out of the traditional family borough, then a rally in Varanasi or Allahabad cannot be ruled out.

When the election team of the Congress for Uttar Pradesh was announced in July last year, general secretary in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad had said that the cadres want Priyanka to campaign extensively across Uttar Pradesh. He added that he also spoken to her about the same. Significantly, November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was being planned to launch Priyanka into the campaign from Allahabad. But the programme eventually fizzled out.

Some cadres of the Congress have already started putting up joint posters of Priyanka and Dimple across the state. Expecting that a joint campaign will certainly act as a booster to the newly-formed alliance.