Congress planning two yatras in poll-bound UP from August 21

NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the good response to Sonia Gandhi's roadshow in Varanasi, Congress has planned two yatras from August 21 to criss-cross various parts of poll- bound Uttar Pradesh to bring the party in reckoning after 27 long years.

Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said here that while one cavalcade of senior leaders would traverse 33 districts, another would pass through 33 other districts in the politically most crucial state. The exercise will conclude on Oct 9.

"We are fighting the elections to win it and not to just increase our tally," said Azad while addressing a joint press conference with party's CM candidate for the state Sheila Dikshit, PCC President Raj Babbar and some other senior state leaders.

Congress has been out of power in the state for 27 long years. It had secured just 28 out of the total 403 seats in the last Assembly polls held in 2012. The state is slated to have next Assembly polls early next year.

Targetting the BJP, Samajwadi Party and the BSP, he said these parties have "ruined" UP for 27 years. "UP was the state which provided India with PMs and freedom fighters of all faiths," the Congress leader said.

Azad said that while Dikshit would be going in one cavalcade along with Sanjay Singh, who is Chairman of the Campaign committee, Raj Babbar and Chairman Coordination Committee Pramod Tewari would be in another cavalcade.