Battle for UP: Priyanka Gandhi in Mahoba today, to address Congress rally

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of the grand old party, will on Saturday address a rally in Mahoba, where other prominent Congress leaders will also be present, according to reports citing a spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

Ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress intends to leave no stone unturned in its preparations, with the party now shifting its attention to the Bundelkhand region of the state. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of the grand old party, will on Saturday address a rally in Mahoba, where other prominent Congress leaders will also be present, according to reports citing a spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra  (File Photo / PTI)

“After eastern Uttar Pradesh, Congress will now demonstrate its strength in western Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand,” the Congress man was quoted as saying, adding that a massive rally – led by Priyanka Gandhi – has been planned in Mahoba, “the land of heroes”.

Notably, the Congress leader was earlier scheduled to arrive in Bundelkhand on November 23, but her visit was suddenly postponed and the rally was rescheduled to November 27 instead. In addition to other prominent leaders, the party also intends to ensure the presence of its workers and supporters from the Nyaya panchayat level at the rallies today.

Mahoba itself remains the hotbed of political future in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the assembly polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had both addressed people from Mahoba earlier this month, galvanising the BJP supporters and workers and getting the saffron party's morale up and running for the elections. Now, Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress leaders are looking to do the same for the opposing faction, and this will be followed up by a visit by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on December 1.

According to reports, the chief of Congress' UP unit, Ajay Kumar Lallu, and other state leaders have been making personal visits to village units to ensure the attendance of ground-level workers and supporters at Priyanka Gandhi's rally on Saturday. While a considerable crowd is expected, it remains to be seen how Congress attempts to turn its fate around in poll prospects for the region.

Congress hopes to recover its lost ground in Bundelkhand. The region had long ago been a stronghold of the grand old party, but later it gradually began losing grip on the consensus – as is evident from the election results of the past three decades. Now, the party has ramped up its efforts to win back the popular vote in Bundelkhand, with Priyanka Gandhi attempting to lead the efforts there.