Lucknow: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia arrived in Lucknow on Monday, for the first time after taking charge as the Congress general secretary in-charges of eastern and western Uttar Pradesh. The duo was accompanied by party chief Rahul Gandhi, in ‘virtually launching the party campaign in the state’ ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019. The trio embarked on a 12-km roadshow from the Amausi airport to Congress office in the city.
“The Congress president along with the two general secretaries will be part of a procession from the airport to the Pradesh Congress Committee office,” Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal told reporters earlier.
Eyeing general elections, Priyanka and Jyotiraditya are scheduled to interact with party workers at state Congress office in Lucknow on February 12, 13 and 14. Meanwhile, the Congress president will return back to Delhi on Monday itself, after a roadshow by the three leaders from airport to party’s state headquarter.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a day before her visit to the crucial state, said that she hopes to ‘start a new kind of politics’ with people as stakeholders. “I am coming tomorrow to Lucknow to meet all of you. I have hope in my heart that together we will start a new kind of politics, a politics in which all of you will be stakeholders — my young friends, my sisters and even the weakest person, all their voices will be heard,” she said through the Congress’s Shakti App.
On the other hand, Jyotiraditya, in his message, said, “Tomorrow I am coming to be with you. The youth of Uttar Pradesh need a roadmap for the future and the state needs change.” Adding further, he asked the people to ‘come align with us and bring change to Uttar Pradesh’, while referring to the Congress party.
Earlier on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, in a clear message to Priyanka and Jyotiraditya during the strategy meeting held in the national capital, had advised them ‘not to expect miracles in two months’ and aim at state elections. He also asked the new general secretary in-charges to strengthen the party in the crucial state, asking them to spring into ‘mission mode’.
During the nearly 3-hour meeting, the first official meeting for Priyanka, the Congress chief asked the leaders to make sure that the party campaign for general elections is a decent one, unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP). Giving an ultimatum, he asked the general secretaries and state in-charges to finalise candidates for polls by the end of February.