Lucknow: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls slated for 2022, Congress’ state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu on Sunday expressed confidence that his party has the capacity to fight the elections without aligning with either Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party and form the next government on its own. This came days after SP and the BSP ruled out forging any major alliances for the upcoming UP polls.
He also said the Congress would fight the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh next year under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s “dekh-rekh (supervision)”, and that under her leadership, the party would make a comeback in the state after over three decades.
He said “winds of change” were blowing in the state and added, “Badlav ki aandhi hai, jiska naam Priyanka Gandhi hai (There is a storm of change and its name is Priyanka Gandhi).”
The UP Congress chief asserted that the Congress organisation has been strengthened at various levels in the state under Priyanka Gandhi’s leadership.
Asked if Priyanka Gandhi should be made the chief ministerial face by the party for the UP polls, Lallu said it is the party’s national leadership that would decide on who should be the chief ministerial face.
Pressed on whether Priyanka Gandhi would be the party’s face in the run-up to the polls, Lallu said she is the state’s in-charge and the elections will be fought under her supervision.
“The people of Uttar Pradesh are looking at the Congress with hope. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the workers and under her (Priyanka Gandhi) leadership, the Congress government will be formed in UP,” he said.
His remarks come at a time when the party has shifted gears for the assembly elections with the state unit organising zone-wise training camps of block presidents, district presidents, and other office-bearers to prepare workers for the polls.
(With PTI inputs)