Priyanka Vadra likely to campaign only in Amethi and Rae Bareli

NEW DELHI: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is again among the 40 notified star campaigners of the Congress for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Though her name figured in the same category during the last assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, this time it has earned extra traction in the media after the behind-the-scene role she played in stitching up the SPCongress alliance and party’s election preparations.

Party leaders said while she may campaign in some select areas beyond her traditional terrain of Amethi and Rae Bareli, she is unlikely to have a state-wide blitzkrieg.

No decision has been taken yet on holding joint-rallies with Akhilesh Yadav or his wife Dimple, party leaders said. However, there have been a pitch from party workers and local leaders for her to have a larger campaign role. As respective leaders of the alliance partners Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi could address joint rallies.

Apart from the three Gandhis, the party list of ‘star campaigners’ include Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Janardan Dwivedi, Raj Babbar, Sheila Dikshit, Kumari Selja, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Sanjay Singh, Bhupinder Hooda and his son and Nagma.

One noted absentee in the list is AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh, Congress incharge of UP in 2009 Lok Sabha polls and 2012 assembly polls.

Singh’s name, however, appears in the Congress star campaigners list for Punjab. The list of party star campaigners for Goa and Uttarakhand are yet to come.