Cong kicks off campaign with bus yatra

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 23

The Congress today kicked off its Uttar Pradesh election campaign with a bus journey traversing 600 km through the western belt of the state and some other regions.

The highlight of the first phase of the yatra, which will see 27 editions over the next two months, will be Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s road show in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 2.

Sources in the party said plans were to keep building the momentum as the 2017 UP poll drew near and take on all rivals— the BJP, the BSP and the ruling SP.

Sonia’s show in Varanasi is part of the strategy to tell adversaries that the Congress is geared for the big battle ahead. Prior to Sonia’s show, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will address workers in Lucknow on July 29 to galvanise cadres for the election. 

That apart, the Congress is fashioning its campaign around the theme of governance, with former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit appointed as the UP CM face on purpose. “Her job is to sell the Delhi dream to UP,” a leader says. The Congress’ bus journey slogan is “27 saal, UP behaal” and the idea is to target all non-Congress governments in the state where the party was voted out of power 27 years ago. 

As the first leg of the bus journey was today flagged off by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary in charge for UP Ghulam Nabi Azad, UP Congress president Raj Babbar, Sheila Dikshit and party’s campaign panel chief Sanjay Singh were seen aboard.  They will address rallies across several towns of Meerut, Moradabad and Bareilly before winding up the journey in Kanpur on July 25.

“Today’s voters seek a personal touch. You can no longer wave at them and expect them to follow you. You have to make sure you reach them. The bus journey is an attempt to reach UP voters,” a leader said as Congress veterans Azad and Sheila waving at onlookers from inside an air conditioned bus made a compelling visual.

There were reports that Priyanka may join Rahul at the July 29 workers’ address in Lucknow. Her entry into the UP election scene is still carefully planned lest the Congress loses the ammunition before the war even begins.

The party wants the timing to be perfect and is still thinking whether to send Priyanka to UP alone or involve her for a national role. She, however, is integral to all brainstorming sessions involving party’s UP strategy.