UP polls: Cong planning two yatras from Aug 21

The two groups, one led by chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit and another by PCC chief Raj Babbar, will carry out poll yatras from August 21. Each group will have eight leaders and will cover 32-33 districts each. 

The party leaders said that through this move they would connect with their workers and voters. The yatras will also help them make their presence felt in every nook and corner of the state.

"This time, we are fighting elections to make government and not just to increase our seats. Through these poll yatras, these two groups will cover the entire state," said AICC general secretary in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“Governance is suffering in UP. Samajvadi Party is known for corruption, breakdown of law and order in UP. We are interested in providing good governance to the state which will put the state on path of growth,” Dikshit said. The theme of party’s UP election campaign is ‘27 saal, UP behal’.

Congress had launched its election campaign through a bus Yatra from Rohilkhand to Kanpur, which was launched by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The first phase of election campaign also saw both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi leading the charge in two important constituencies. Rahul Gandhi held a meeting of workers in Lucknow while Sonia Gandhi carried out a roadshow in Varanasi.

Political pundits indicated that party was going all out to make its presence felt in the state, where it has been badly marginalised in the last 3 decades. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sheila Dikshit, Raj Babbar, PL Punia, Salman Khurshid, Pramod Tiwari, Sanjay Sinh will be among other leaders who will take part in these yatras.