LUCKNOW: Besides Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is in demand among Congress candidates for addressing public meetings in their respective constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
According to Congress coordinators, the proposals for public meetings of Akhilesh Yadav in Sitapur, Deoria and Varanasi have been sent for approval to the central election campaign committee.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s roadshows are equally high on demand among candidates.
“In fact, candidates want Rahul and Akhilesh to hold joint meetings, like the one they held in Amroha, to improve the alliance cohesiveness down the line,” said a senior functionary, adding that the demand also speaks for acceptance of the alliance among cadre of both the partners.
Poet-turned-politician Imran Pratapgarhi is another sought-after star campaigner among the Congress and SP candidates while Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tewari is the first choice of campaigners in Brahmin-dominated belts.
“They are popular because of their oratory skills,” claimed a coordinator.
However, demand for Congress Muslim faces such as Imran Masood and Danish Ali is limited. “The feedback is that their presence may prove to be counterproductive in certain areas,” an insider said.
The requests for AAP leader Sanjay Singh from Thakur-dominated areas in Sitapur and Lucknow among Congress and SP candidates is also pending for decision.
Poll managers of UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, who is contesting PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi, have asked the state leadership to explore the possibility of engaging Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, for campaign. Reason: Kejriwal had against PM Narendra Modi in 2014 elections and secured over two lakh votes.
Congress has around 40 star campaigners for UP whose programmes are decided for each phase. The list of most sought-after campaigners includes national president Mallikarjun Kharge, chief ministers of Congress ruled states such as Karnataka Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Revanth Reddy (Telangana) and Siddaramaiah (Karnataka) and his deputy DK Shivakumar among others such as former Congress CMs and loyalists, including Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and Harish Rawat (Uttarakhand).
Journalist with the Times of India since August 2004, Shailvee Sh...
Read MoreJournalist with the Times of India since August 2004, Shailvee Sharda writes on Health, Culture and Politics. Having covered the length and breadth of UP, she brings stories that define elements like human survival and its struggle, faiths, perceptions and thought processes that govern the decision making in everyday life, during big events such as an election, tangible and non-tangible cultural legacy and the cost and economics of well-being. She keenly follows stories that celebrate hope and life in general.
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