As campaign for Phase 1 ends, Priyanka holds road shows in Saharanpur, Bijnor
The traffic came to a standstill as all the major points were filled with party supporters. Priyanka broke her security protocol by stepping out of her SUV to walk among the supporters who shouted the slogan “Chowkidar chor hai”.
lok sabha elections Updated: Apr 10, 2019 09:12 ISTOn the last day of campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday held road shows in Saharanpur and Bijnor parliamentary constituencies in west Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress has fielded Imran Masood from Saharanpur and Naseemuddin Siddiqui from Bijnor.
Masood has earned the reputation of a grass roots leader in Saharanpur and the Congress is banking on his support base. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded sitting MP Raghav Lakhanpal.
A triangular contest is likely between Masood, Lakhanpal and alliance candidate Fazlurrehman.
Clad in a red saree, Priyanka embarked on her road show in Saharanpur to a tumultuous response
As her cavalcade passed through the streets of old city area, people, especially women, stood on rooftops of their houses and showered flower petals on her.
The traffic came to a standstill as all the major points were filled with party supporters. Priyanka broke her security protocol by stepping out of her SUV to walk among the supporters who shouted the slogan “Chowkidar chor hai”.
The road show started from Gole Kothi on Chilkana road and culminated at Rech Ka Pul after passing through various localities.
Three rallies of Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi were scheduled in Saharanpur, Bijnor and Kairana on Monday but were cancelled due to bad weather.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Congress workers and supporters came out on the streets braving the heat to participate in Priyanka’s road show in Bijnor.
Congress has fielded Naseemuddin Siddiqui against alliance candidate Malook Nagar and BJP’s sitting MP Bhartendra Singh. Naseemuddin, once a close confidant of BSP supremo Mayawati, was expelled by BSP chief Mayawati in May 2017. He later joined the Congress.
A massive crowd turned up for the road show which started from Congress office on Bijnor-Najibabad road. Sitting on the rooftop of a car, Priyanka waved at the people.
Earlier, breaking security protocol, Priyanka met people standing on the other side of the helipad and interacted with women and children.
While her cavalcade passed through a crossing, a group of BJP supporters waved BJP flags and shouted slogans in support of PM Narendra Modi. Priyanka smiled at them and threw garlands towards them.
First Published: Apr 10, 2019 09:12 IST