Even as the Samajwadi Party and Congress are battling to identify seats to be contested, particularly in the Gandhi family bastions Amethi and Raebareli, the alliance partners will soon launch a joint election campaign.
A ‘Chunav Rath’ mounted on a commercial vehicle is ready in the State office of the Samajwadi Party. The Rath carries pictures of Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi besides having picture of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. However the CM’s estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav is conspicuous by his absence from the frame.
The slogan on the rath has been changed from the previous ‘Vikas se vijay ki aur’ to ‘Umeed ki cycle aur ekta aur vishwas ki shakti’. A slogan also seeks to dub Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an ‘outsider’ in UP. The slogan reads ‘Apne ladke, Bahri Modi’. The Rrath is expected to tour all Assembly segments across the State.
SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in lucknow on Wednesday that both Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi will jointly address over 12 meetings across the State during campaigning. “leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party are preparing a tour plan,’’ said Chaudhary.
However the SP spokesman had no information whether Akhilesh Yadav would campaign in the 105 Assembly seats which are being contested by the Congress.
SP sources said that the schedule of joint campaign is likely to be announced once the seats to be contested by each partner were identified.
“There is no dispute on the number of seats to be contested by each party and only the seats are to be identified. The SP is likely to withdraw its candidates to accommodate Congress candidates,’’ said a SP leader.
In 2012 Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party had won seven out of the 10 seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli districts. Congress wants to contest all 10 seats in both districts and wants the SP to withdraw its candidates.