Election Tracker LIVE: Priyanka Gandhi Kicks Off UP Poll Campaign With 3-day Ganga Yatra to Varanasi

Priyanka Gandhi has mounted the boat and with that, kick-started her election rally from Prayagraj along a 140km stretch all the way to Assi ghat in Varanasi.  With the hope of reviving political fortunes of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka has undertaken this three-day trip in Purvanchal  called 'Saanchi Baat'. "The holy Ganga is symbolic for truth and equality. The people of this state depend on the Ganges and I will depend on Ganga too to connect to you," Priyanka had written in an open letter to the people.

Priyanka Gandhi arrives at Triveni Sangam and offers prayers here before beginning her water rally. 

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Triveni Sangam, to start 3-day long 'Ganga-yatra' from Chhatnag in Prayagraj to Assi Ghat in Varanasi, today. pic.twitter.com/A6gjtbod33

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2019

Priyanka Gandhi performs puja at the Hanuman Temple in Prayagraj before kick-starting her Ganga Yatra boat-rally from here to Varanasi. She is expected to head to Sangam from here, where she will be performing another set of rituals. 

The mortal remains of Manohar Parrikar are being taken to the BJP office in state from his residence right now. 

Goa: Mortal remains of Goa CM #ManoharParrikar being taken to BJP office from his residence, in Panaji. pic.twitter.com/Ksr8afYDNa

— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2019

From working as an RSS karsevak in Ayodhya during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December '92 to establishing his party's writ in Goa with the help of local Catholics, Manohar Parrikar could boldly balance his ideology with Realpolitik like no one else.

Centre Annnounces National Mourning Today | "His mortal remains would be brought to the BJP office in the morning where they will be kept for an hour before being taking to the Kala Academy to allow people to pay their last respects before his final journey," the spokesperson said. The central government has announced national mourning on Monday, officials earlier said. The national flag will fly at half-mast across the country

Parrikar's Final Rites at 5 PM Today | The final rites of Parrikar will be performed at 5 pm on Monday at the Miramar beach here, next to the memorial of Goa's first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, who was also cremated there, a state BJP spokesperson said. After Parrikar's demise on Sunday evening, the body was kept at his residence for the night.

State Funeral with Full Military Honours for Parrikar | Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who died after a long illness, would be accorded state funeral with full military honours on Monday, according to the home ministry. Parrikar, 63, who had also been the defence minister, died on Sunday at his private residence in Dona Paula near the state capital after battling a pancreatic ailment since February last year. MHA Joint Secretary S K Shahi, in an order issued on Sunday, said the Ministry of Defence is requested to make arrangements for state funeral with full military honours. 

Rahul Gandhi to Begin K'nataka Campaign | Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi's brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will begin his Karnataka campaign with a public meeting in Kalburagi. This will be his first rally in the state after the Lok Sabha polling dates were announced. The Congress will contest in 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State, as per the seat-sharing agreement with the JD(S), and it has already announced that all nine MPs will be renominated. 

At around 12pm, Priyanka will reach Sirsa Ghat and hold another round of talks, followed by a programme at Lakshagrah Ghat at 1pm. Her final stop for the day will be at Sitamarhi Ghat in Bhadohi district at around 4pm, where she will stay for the night.

After officially launching the campaign from Manaiyya Ghat in Prayagraj at around 9am, Priyanka will then head to Dumdama Ghat at 11am. 

Prayagraj: Preparation visuals from Manaiya ghat. Congress General Secretary UP-East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will take a 3-day, 140 km long 'Ganga-yatra' on a steamer boat, starting today, from Chhatnag in Prayagraj to Assi Ghat in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/mEBKt4b1Ww

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2019

‘Sanchi Baat, Priyanka Ke Saath’ | Priyanka will start her election campaign from Prayagraj with a programme titled ‘Sanchi Baat, Priyanka Ke Saath’, where she will meet and speak to people on a steamer ride from Prayagraj to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi. The 140km ride will last for about three days before culminating at a Holi Milan function in Varanasi.

Priyanka, who was welcomed by Congress workers amid chants of “Dahan Karo Modi Ki Lanka, Behen Priyanka Behen Priyanka”, tweeted an image of the room at Swaraj Bhawan where her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi was born. “While sitting at the Swaraj Bhawan I can see the room where my grandmother was born. While putting me to sleep at night, she used to tell me stories of Joan of Arc. Her words still echo in my heart. She used to tell me to be brave and everything good would happen,” she wrote.

स्वराज भवन के आँगन में बैठे हुए वह कमरा दिख रहा है जहाँ मेरी दादी का जन्म हुआ। रात को सुलाते हुए दादी मुझे जोन ऑफ आर्क की कहानी सुनाया करती थीं। आज भी उनके शब्द दिल में गूँजते हैं। कहती थीं- निडर बनो और सब अच्छा होगा। pic.twitter.com/q8Ecdb2RsL

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) March 17, 2019

Priyanka Reaches Prayagraj, to Start Rally Soon | Priyanka Gandhi has arrived in Prayagraj today morning to kick-start her Ganga Yatra boat rally to Varanasi after meeting party workers, madrasa teachers and anganwadi workers at the party’s Lucknow office on Sunday. Her scheduled visit suffered a delay after lean flow of water on some stretches of the Ganga river were reported on Sunday.

The Congress leader will try to turn the boat ride into an electoral opportunity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as she would interact with electorally significant communities who live by the river. Many of these communities, the Congress says, come under the other backward castes or scheduled castes groups. A series of visits to  temples and dargahs are also planned along the route.

Priyanka to Kick-start Boat Rally from Prayagraj to Varanasi | Offically kick-starting her campaign, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress' in-charge in eastern Uttar Pradesh, will take a boat ride on a 140-kilometre stretch of the Ganga river between the Prayagraj and Mirzapur districts today, where she will meet the communities living by the river and seek support for the party for the Lok Sabha polls.