LUCKNOW: In order to give the much desired push to the SP-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the ensuing assembly elections, Chief Minister and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi are likely to launch their joint campaign followed by a press conference in Lucknow on Sunday.
The leaders will launch the alliance slogan ‘UP ko yeh saath pasand hai’at the joint press conference on Sunday evening after taking part in a three-hour-long road show.
The alliance, which had to be announced through a joint statement by the two leaders on January 22, has remained a low-key affair as it was made public by the two state chiefs Naresh Uttam and Raj Babbar through a hastily convened
press conference in Lucknow. The pact had come through after overcoming a number of hurdles.
Akhilesh has already hit the campaign trail by addressing a couple of public rallies in Sultanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri on January 24 and 25 even as Rahul has been busy with Punjab that is going to polls on February 11. Both leaders will try to compensate the delay by expediting the programme.
Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav—Akhilesh’s wife— is also expected to be present by her husband’s side during the press conference. While SP and Congress insiders have confirmed the road show, the finer details about the route will only be finalised on Saturday, following sanction by the Special Protection Group that trails Rahul Gandhi.
"The show will clear all doubts and confusions over the pact in the minds of not only the voters but the rival also,” said a UP Congress leader. On Friday,
Akhilesh held a meeting of party candidates and MLCs from Lucknow district at the SP headquarters asking them to be ready for the mega show.
The meeting was attended by Mulayam's chhoti bahu Aparna Yadav, who is the party candidate from Cantonment seat of the state capital. Other SP candidates including sitting MLA Abhishek Misra (North seat), candidate from Bakshi Ka Talab (BKT) Gomti Yadav along with spokesperson Juhi Singh also attended the meeting.
If sources are to be believed, Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi and Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav might also go for a joint campaign after the launch to make a fervent appeal to youth, women and minorities to ensure Modi’s defeat in the assembly polls.