As Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continues promising sops like farm loan and power bill waiver, government jobs and monetary help to the poor in poll bound Uttar Pradesh, the rival parties have been forced to revisit their election strategy.
The ruling BJP, which dismissed Priyanka's announcements as an "election stunt", was preparing a dossier containing details of the state government's achievements on various fronts to 'counter' her.
"We will soon come out with details about the number of government jobs given to the people during the four and half year of our government, initiatives for the benefit of the farmers and women," a senior UP BJP leader here said while speaking to DH on Sunday.
The UP government on Sunday announced Rs 50,00 cash each to the next of the kin of those, who lost their lives in the second wave of Covid-19 in the state.
On whether the saffron party would also come out with reservation for women in ticket allocation in the forthcoming Assembly polls, the leader said that the BJP had always given adequate representation to the women.
The Samajwadi Party (SP), which has so far refrained from commenting on Congress' promises, was also considering to include the issues concerning farmers' loans, power bill as well as monetary help to the pandemic affected families.
"We have always supported the farmers....we are committed to do everything to help them," a senior SP leader here said.
Although both BJP and SP have been asserting that Congress is a fringe player in the electoral politics of UP, Priyanka's poll promises have caused unease within their ranks.
UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the election manifesto of his party was being given final touch and added that more promises could be included in it. "They are not mere promises....they are our vows and we are committed to them if Congress forms the next government," he said.
Priyanka has promised waiver of loans of the farmers, providing government jobs to 20 lakh people in the state, cut power bills by half of every consumer while completely waiving off the power bills during the pandemic, hiking the procurement rates of paddy, wheat and sugarcane, besides 40 per cent reservation to women in allocation of tickets in the Assembly polls in the state and smartphones and electric scooters to girls.
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