By PTI
NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday virtually pitched herself as the party’s face in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections but did not confirm whether she would contest the polls or not.
“Do you see any other face from the Congress party,” she said when asked who would be the party’s chief ministerial face in UP polls.
“You are seeing my face everywhere,” the Congress leader added while addressing a press conference to release the party’s ‘youth manifesto’ along with her brother and former president Rahul Gandhi.
Asked whether she would herself contest the assembly polls, Priyanka Gandhi said, “We have not yet decided.”
She said it would be known once that is decided.
Priyanka Gandhi, who is the general secretary in-charge for Congress in Uttar Pradesh, said the party would certainly look into supporting other parties if the situation were to arise after the elections.
She, however, said that the Congress would have implementing its vision for youth, especially women, in Uttar Pradesh as a priority while extending any such support for government formation.
The Congress on Friday released a manifesto for the youth ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections with Rahul Gandhi asserting that the party wants to build a “new UP” driven by the strength of the youth.
In the manifesto, the party resolved to fill the “massive backlog” of jobs in the public sector and promised 20 lakh jobs of which eight lakh would be for women.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who along with Rahul Gandhi released the ‘Bharti Vidhan’ at the party headquarters here, said the party wants the focus to be on development as the propaganda that is mostly going around is negative or based on caste or communalism.
Asked whether her party would be willing to align with other Opposition parties if the need arises post elections in order to implement the vision unveiled by the party, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters, “If such circumstances arise and in the event that they do, we would be open to considering that. I would say that if such a situation arises then we would certainly want our agenda for the youth and women to be fulfilled if we were going to be part of any such dispensation.”
To another question on the chief ministerial face of the party and what would be the party’s strategy on it going into polls, the party general secretary said, “Do you see any other face in UP from the Congress’ side? Then?” When pressed, she said, “Can’t you see my face visible everywhere?” In his remarks at the press conference to launch the ‘youth manifesto’, Rahul Gandhi said the vision document is “not hollow words” but drafted after consulting youth whose views are reflected in it.
“There are polls in UP and the youth there need a new vision and only the Congress can give that vision to the state,” the former president said.
“We don’t spread hatred, we work to unite people and we want to build a new Uttar Pradesh driven by the strength and confidence of youth.”
Priyanka Gandhi added that biggest problem in the state is recruitment and the youth are disappointed.
The party is going to the polls with the focus on youth and women and has announced that it will reserve 40 per cent of tickets for women in Uttar Pradesh.
Polling for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and the counting of votes will be held on March 10.
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