JOIN US As part of Gandhi scion’s 2012 UP Mission, both the leaders will address the rally in Banda district of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.
“This is one of the rare occasions when Rahulji will address a rally with Prime Minister. Both will address a rally together in Uttar Pradesh for the first time," a senior Congress functionary told Deccan Herald.
The leader said that the both the leaders holding a joint rally is part of party’s long drawn strategy for 2012 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
“Both the leaders addressing a rally together says a lot about party’s agenda in the state for the assembly elections next year. Along with highlighting several other issues, the rally is part of our strategy for Uttar Pradesh and win substantial number of seats,” the leader said.
The rally comes a year after a package worth Rs 7,266 crore was sanctioned for Bundelkhand after Rahul Gandhi pushed for it.Congress is putting all efforts to revive itself in Uttar Pradesh, the land of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the state where party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have their electoral constituencies.
This can be seen from the fact that Rahul Gandhi in past had launched talent hunt in the state to recruit more and more youth into the party.
Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the party is continuing its membership drive in different parts of the state gearing up for 2012 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Speaking on the prospects of Congress in the state, another senior party leader told Deccan Herald that “the party has not been able to cash the good performance shown in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.”
Notably, from nine seats in 2004, the Congress won 21 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh in 2009, just marginally below the Samajwadi Party and ahead of both the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).