Announces first list of 125 candidates
Sticking to her slogan of `Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ and fulfilling her first promise of fielding 40 per cent women in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Thursday, released her party's first list of 125 candidates in which 40 per cent are women candidates.
Also, assessing the might of young voters, the Congress also gave 40 per cent tickets to youngsters in the first list.
The Congress has also fielded Unnao rape victim's mother Asha Singh from Unnao assembly constituency.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Thursday, Priyanka said that 40 per cent of Congress candidates were women while another 40 per cent were youth and by doing so the party was making a new and historic beginning.
"It is a historic start. We hope we will start a new kind of politics in the state and the country. Our list gives out a new message -- if there is injustice with you then you have the power to fight for your rights. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party will provide that strength to you and support and help you in all ways so that you fight for yourself. Come into politics and take power in your hands and then ask for your rights yourself," Priyanka told media persons.
"Change is certain when the voices of struggle and of those making new politics come together. Change is certain when we walk together with the determination to win Uttar Pradesh. We will fight and we will win," she later tweeted in Hindi, using the hashtag ‘Congress is coming’.
The Congress poster leader further said, “The party has fielded such candidates who have struggled for seeking justice in Uttar Pradesh. The party wants them to come to the forefront and be a part of power in the state. We will not run a negative campaign in these polls and instead run a positive campaign for a bright future of Uttar Pradesh while highlighting issues concerning the people and those of women and development. It is easy to mobilise people on hate and negativity, but very difficult to mobilise them on issues concerning them and development.”
Taking on the Yogi Adityanath government, Priyanka said, “It has been dictatorial in nature and the discussion in elections is skewed. Our focus would be to bring people’s issues to centre-stage."
However, the All India Congress Committee general secretary skirted a question on whether she would contest the assembly polls, but said that she would remain in Uttar Pradesh even after the polls and continue to raise issues of the people. She also stressed that her party would certainly support any other party after the elections to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power.
"I will continue my efforts and will remain in UP even after elections. But if my party wants me to play a role elsewhere, I will fulfill that. I will continue to raise issues of the people and bring in a new kind of politics. I feel very strongly that we need to steer politics, not just of UP, but of the country, in a more positive and constructive direction," Priyanka said.
In its first list, the Congress has decided to field Unnao rape victim's mother Asha Singh from Unnao assembly constituency and anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) activist Sadaf Jafar from Lucknow Central. Also ASHA worker Rita Singh, who was thrashed during a protest in Lakhimpur Kheri, has been fielded from Mohammedi assembly constituency.
Similarly, slain poetess Madhumita Shukla’s sister Nidhi Shukla, who carried out the fight against former minister of Bahujan Samaj Party and gangster Amarmani Tripathi and got the politician and his wife convicted for her sister’s murder had also sought ticket from Mohammadi. After being denied a ticket by the Congress, she will still fight the election as an Independent or from some other party.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "In Unnao, the one with whose daughter the BJP did injustice, now she will become the face of justice -- will fight and win! #Election2022".
Congress list of 125 candidates: Naijibabad: Hazi Mohd Saleem Ansari; Nagina (SC) : Henreita Rajeev Singh; Nehtaur (SC) : Meenakshi Singh; Moradabad Rural: Mohd Nadeem; Moradabad Nagar: Mohd Rizwan Qureshi; Asmoli: Hazi Marghoob Alam; Sambhal: Nida Ahmad; Suar: Haider Ali Khan, Chamraua: Yusuf Ali Yusuf; Bilaspur: Sanjay Kapoor; Rampur: Kazim Ali Khan; Dhanuara (SC): Samar Pal Singh; Amroha: Saleem Khan; Hastinapur (SC): Archana Gautam; Kithore: Babita Gurjar; Chhaprauli: Dr Yunus Chaudhary; Loni: Yameen Malik; Muradnagar: Bijendra Yadav; Ghaziabad: Sushant Goyal; Garhmukteshwar: Abha Chaudhary; Noida: Pakhuri Pathak; Dadri: Deepak Bhati Chotiwala; Jewar: Manoj Chaudhary; Barauli: Guarang Dev Chauhan; Atrauli: Dharmendr Kumar; Koil: Vivek Bansal; Aligarh: Mohd Salman Imtiyaz; Goverdhan: Deepak Chaudhary; Mathura: Pradeep Mathur; Baldev (SC): Vinesh Kumar Sanwal Valmiki; Etmadpur: Shivani Singh Baghel; Agra South: Anuj Sharma; Agra North: Vinod Kumar Bansal; Agra Rural (SC): Upendra Singh; Kheragarh: Ram Nath Shikarwar; Fatehabad: Hotam Singh Nishad; Bah: Manoj Dixit; Tundla (SC): Yogesh Diwakar; Jasrana: Vijay Nath Singh Verma; Shikohabad: Shashi Sharma; Sirsaganj: Pratima Pal; Etah: Gunjan Mishra; Mainpuri: Vineeta Shakya; Karhal: Gyanvati Yadav; Bisauli (SC): Pragya Yashoda; Baduan: Rajni Singh; Baheri: Santosh Bharti; Meerganj: Mohd. Ilyas; Bareilly Cantonment: Supriya Aron; Aonla: Omveer Yadav; Barkhera: Harpreet Singh Chabba; Puranpur (SC): Ishwar Dayal Paswan; Jalalabad: Gurmeet Singh; Tihar: Rajnish Kumar Gupta; Powayan (SC): Anuj Kumari; Shahjahanpur: Poonam Pandey; Dadraul: Tanveer Safdar; Mohammdi: Ritu Singh; Sitapur: Shameena Shafiq; Biswan: Abhinav Bhargava; Bangermau: Arti Bajpai; Mohan (SC): Madhu Rawat; Unnao: Asha Singh; Bakshi Ka Talab: Lalan Kumar; Sarojini Nagar: Rudra Daman Singh; Lucknow Central: Sadaf Jafar; Lucknow Cantonment: Dilpreet Singh; Mohanlalganj (SC): Mamta Chaudhary; Bachhrawan (SC): Sushil Pasi; Tiloi: Pradeep Singhal; Salon (SC): Arjun Pasi; Jagdishpur (SC) : Vijay Pasi; Kadipur (SC): Niklesh Saroj; Farrukhabad: Louise Khurshid; Auraiya (SC): Sarita Dohre; Bilhapur (SC): Usha Rani Kori; Arya Nagar: Pramod Kumar Jaiswal; Kidwai Nagar: Ajay Kapoor; Kanpur Cantonment: Sohail Akhtar Ansari; Maharajpur: Kanishka Pandey; Kalpi: Umakanti; Orai (SC): Urmila Sonkar Khabri; Mahoba: Sagar Singh; Manikpur: Rajna Bharatilal Pandey; Husainganj: Shivakant Tiwari; Rampur Khas: Aradhna Misra 'Mona'; Babaganj (SC): Beena Rani; Pratapgarh: Neeraj Tripathi; Manjhanpur (SC): Arun Kumar Vidyarthi; Phaphamau: Durgesh Pandey; Allahabad North: Anugrah Narain Singh; Allahabad South: Alpana Nishad; Bara (SC): Manju Sant; Ram Nagar: Gyanesh Shukla; Zaidpur (SC): Tanuj Punia; Dariyaganj: Chitra Verma; Haidergarh (SC): Nirmala Chaudhary; Utraula: Dhirendra Pratap Singh; Gonda: Rama Kashyap; Domariyaganj: Kanti Pandey; Harraiya: Laboni Singh; Rudhauli: Basant Chaudhary; Pharendra: Virendra Chaudhary; Maharajganj (SC): Alok Prasad; Paniyra: Shardendu Kumar Pandey; Khajani (SC): Rajni Devi; Padrauna: Manish Jaiswal; Tamkuhi: Raj-Ajay Kumar Lallu; Rudrapur: Akhilesh Pratap Singh; Rampur Karkhana: Shehla Ahrari; Bhatpar Rani: Keshav Chandra Yadav; Barhaj: Ramji Giri; Sagri: Rana Khatoon; Azamgarh: Praveen Kumar Singh; Nizamabad: Anil Kumar Yadav; Mehnagar (SC): Nirmala Bharti; Madhuban: Amresh Chandra Pandey; Muhammadabad Gohna (SC): Banwari Lal; Jakhanian (SC): Sunil Ram; Ghazipur: Lautan Ram Nishad; Sakaldiha: Devendra Pratap Singh; Pindra: Ajay Rai; Rohaniya: Rajeshwar Patel; Chhanbey (SC): Bhagwati Prasad Chaudhary; Obra: Ram Raj Gond.
