BJP and Congress Lok Sabha candidates from Raebareli Dinesh Pratap Singh (L), and Rahul Gandhi respectively.
Credit: X/@RBLDineshSingh and PTI photos
Lucknow: Seeking to dislodge the Congress from one of its last strongholds in Raebareli from where senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is in the fray, the BJP has planned to carpet bomb the Constituency with its top leaders, including prime minister Narendra Modi, who may hold a roadshow there.
According to the local BJP leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be addressing an election rally in Raebareli town in support of the party nominee Dinesh Pratap Singh on Sunday. Firebrand saffron leader and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath would also address an election rally in Raebareli on Monday.
"We have received confirmation of the meetings of Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath", BJP district unit president Buddhilal Pasi said in Raebareli on Friday.
He said that the local party unit had sent a request to the state leadership for a road show and election rally by the prime minister. "We want the prime minister to address an election rally in Raebareli and also hold a road show", he added.
"We are awaiting confirmation", he said.
Interestingly, the BJP has cared to deploy its state ministers in different areas of the constituency keeping in view their caste equations. "The ministers have been directed to reach out to the members of their castes", said a local saffron party leader.
The decision to go all guns blazing in the Congress bastion was taken in view of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s extensive campaigning in the constituency. Priyanka, who has been camping in Raebareli for the past few days, has been addressing over a dozen small meetings at villages seeking support for her brother.
The Congress leader has also been campaigning extensively in the neighbouring Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in favour of Kishori Lal Sharma.
A joint election rally of Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was also proposed to be held on Tuesday, according to the local Congress leaders. "Rahulji will also campaign in Raebareli and Amethi on Tuesday", a senior Congress leader said.
Polling in Raebareli and Amethi will take place in the fifth phase of the elections on May 20. In the 2019 LS polls, Congress had managed to win only the Raebareli seat in UP.