All sitting Cong MLAs will be retained, hints Rahul
LUCKNOW: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has hinted that his party will field all its sitting MLAs in the 2017 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul gave an indication to this effect when public representatives of his party met him at the Munshiganj guesthouse on Friday evening. “Yes, Rahul Gandhi has assured us that all the MLAs will get a party ticket in the 2017 assembly election,” said senior party leader and Tiloi MLA Dr Mohd Muslim.
LUCKNOW: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has hinted that his party will field all its sitting MLAs in the 2017 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul gave an indication to this effect when public representatives of his party met him at the Munshiganj guesthouse on Friday evening.
“Yes, Rahul Gandhi has assured us that all the MLAs will get a party ticket in the 2017 assembly election,” said senior party leader and Tiloi MLA Dr Mohd Muslim who, along with Jagdishpur legislator Radhey Shyam, met Rahul late on Friday evening.
“Although Tiloi and Jagdishpur are assembly segments of Amethi, Rahul made the observation about tickets with respect to all the 28 sitting Congress MLAs. He also assured us that the party would name its candidates six months before the 2017 assembly elections,” said Dr Muslim. Before winding up his two-day tour of Amethi on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi asked senior leaders how to strengthen the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
He also wanted to know how to prepare the party to fight the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in the 2017 assembly election?
“Yes, Rahul Gandhi held discussions about Congress’ preparations, measures to strengthen the party and the strategy for the 2017 polls,” said party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh on the phone after meeting Gandhi in Amethi in the morning.
The party’s Amethi district unit chief Yogendra Mishra said a number of partymen also met Rahul at the Munshiganj guest- house.The Amethi MP asked them to step up preparations for the 2017 assembly elections. “Rahul Gandhi has asked us to reach out to the people and tell them how the BJP is trying to question his patriotism. Patriotism is in his blood and he has lost two members of his family for the country,” said Mishra.
The Congress has begun the process of wooing dalits. Rahul addressed a dalit leadership development conclave in Lucknow on February 18. He also had tea at the house of a dalit in his constituency. Wooing Muslims, Brahmins and other sections of society may be next on the cards. The Congress will work out more programmes, including his tours to different regions of the state, in the coming days. “A meeting of District Congress Committee presidents has been convened here on March 1 to work out future programmes not only for Rahul Gandhi but also for others,” said state Congress president Nirmal Khatri after seeing off the party vice-president at the airport in Lucknow on Saturday afternoon.