UP Election: Priyanka Gandhi names Unnao gangrape victim's mother as Congress candidate
Elections for the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10, the Election Commission said.
Congress UP list of candidates: Congress has fielded Unnao gangrape victim's mother as the party candidate from the seat for the upcoming Assembly election. Announcing the first list of 125 candidates on Thursday, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that the list includes 50 women.
"Our Unnao candidate is the mother of the gangrape victim. We have given her a chance to continue the struggle. The power which oppressed them and ruined their family, they should now get that power," Priyanka Gandhi said as she announced the name of candidates during a virtual press conference.
"Some of the women on our list are journalists, some are struggling for various causes. There are social workers, there are women who have suffered immense atrocities," Gandhi added.
The Congress had announced a 40 per cent reservation for women candidates in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls.
Priyanka, who is also the Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier released the party's election manifesto for women titled 'Shakti Vidhan'.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hailed the decision to field Unnao gangrape victim's mother in the polls. He said that "she will win and become the face of justice".
The Uttar Pradesh polls will be held in seven phases -- on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. The results will be declared on March 10 along with the four other poll-bound states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.