To ensure Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance wins an overwhelming majority in the UP Assembly polls, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will today hold a mega road show in Agra.
This road show is a part of the duo’s three events planned in important western UP cities in the next week. Also, this will the second public appearance of the leaders in last one week. On Sunday, Rahul and Akhilesh had addressed their first joint press conference and held a road show in Lucknow walking shoulder to shoulder.
The 12-km long bus ride through the heart of Agra will cover three of its assembly constituencies, a local leader said. The two leaders will meet at the airport at 1 pm before driving down to the city’s Dayalbagh area from where the road show will start and pass through areas like Bhagwan Talkies and MG Road before culminating at Chipitola crossing.
On Sunday, there will be another road show in Kanpur by the two leaders where a ‘common minimum programme’ of the two parties will probably be announced.
On Tuesday, Rahul and Akhilesh will have their first joint rally in Meerut, which goes to polls on February 11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also hold rally in Meerut on February 4.
Agra and Meerut will go to polls in the first phase of elections on February 11 whereas Kanpur region will go to the polls in the third phase on February 19.
A party leader said that the idea is to take the road shows through urban centers as people usually do not turn up at rallies. The Meerut rally is expected to send a clear-cut message that the two parties are together on the ground.
Meanwhile, reports are doing rounds that two parties had also struck a deal over the ten seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli – the Congress’ bastion. The Congress is likely to contest bulk of these seats.
Earlier on January 29, the duo in their maiden outing in Lucknow shared tight hugs and warm handshake besides donning same coloured jackets.
Declaring that their combined objective was to ‘defeat the fascist forces’ and counter ‘divisive ideology’, the two leaders said that the alliance will usher in a ‘storm of development’ in the country’s most populous state.
Uttar Pradesh will be voting for a new state assembly in a seven-phase election between February 11 and March 8. Out of the 403 assembly seats, the Congress will be contesting in 105 seats and the Samajwadi Party will field its candidates in rest of the 298 seats. Results will be declared on March 11.
