Election atmosphere hots-up with almost all the major political parties had planned series of massive rallies with an eye to gain maximum mileage particularly when Uttar Pradesh plays major role in deciding who will form the Government in the Centre.
No parties could ignore the State having largest number of 80 Parliamentary seats. Interestingly when BJP was the first to announce it’s programme to launch it’s campaign for next Parliament elections with Narendra Modi’s rally, Congress tried to counter it with announcement of Rahul Gandhi’a rally a week ahead of Gujrat’s chief minister programme. Samajwadi Party, supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who too is trying to grab prime minister’s post after forming a third front government in the Centre had planned to organise a rally of SP in Mainpuri on October 5, keeping it’s schedule a `secret’ till Wednesday just to score over the two national Parties. However, the rally will be addressed only by Shiv Pal Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav. Bahuajan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, Mayawati, who addressed a rally about two months back to attack the State government had yet to announced her Party rally in the coming months.
Bharatiya Janta Party which is the only Party which already announced Narendra Modi as it’s prime ministerial candidate had planned several rallies of Gujrat chief minister beginning from Kanpur on October 16. However, due to festivals and objection by the local administration, Modi will now address a rally in Industrial Town on October 19 followed by rallies in Jhansi, Bahraich and will conclude in lucknow on December 25 which is also birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. State BJP leaders are also making efforts to rope in Modi from lucknow Parliamentary seat represented earlier by Atal Bihari.
Finding their main rival BJP already declared extensive tour of their prime ministerial candidate in UP, Congress which surprise everyone when they scored maximum number of Parliament seats in last lok Sabha elections, had once again tried to go ahead by announcing rallies of Rahul Gandhi in Aligarh and than on Rampur, both on October 9. later they further proposed rallies of Congress Yuvraj in Hamirpur and Salempur (Balia) on October 22. Sources said that Rahul will address some more rallies but the Congress not announced the programme as AICC general secretary is also busy in campaign for Assembly elections in four States which included New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan. Congress general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Madhusudan Mistri and UP Congress president Nirmal Khatri announced Rahul’s programme here on Wednesday. Mistri claimed that the meetings would be the launching pad for the party in view of the coming lok Sabha elections but it would also thank Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for implementing the Food Security Act and the amendment in the land Acquisition Act. It may be mentioned here that the party leadership has also asked all the district units to send a panel of names, not more than five names, for the probable candidates for the lok Sabha elections by October 15. ‘’The district committee in all the 80 lok Sabha seats would send the panel by holding a meeting which will be video graphed for transparency,’’ Mistri disclosed, adding that credibility and win-ability would be the main criteria for selection of candidate in the panel.