Priyanka Gandhi kicks off Ganga Yatra from Prayagraj

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Mar 18 (ANI): Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress's newly appointed general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh, on Monday boarded a boat to start her three-day long Ganga Yatra from the Manaiya ghat in Prayagraj.
“Ganga maiyaa will give us blessings. She is very generous,” Priyanka said while talking to reporters here.
She started the first day of Ganga Yatra by offering prayers at Bade Hanuman ji temple followed by a prayer at Triveni Sangam. She will be stopping at Dumdama ghat, Sirsa ghat, Lakshagriha ghat and Sitamarhi ghat in Sitamarhi district where she will stay for the night.
Priyanka is accompanied by party spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh, MLA Aradhana Mishra, MP Savitri Bai Phule and some students.
Phule who was elected from the Baharaich Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 elections from the BJP, joined Congress on March 2.
“This is an attempt to reach out to the people whom the ruling politicians did not give priority. From today, Priyanka ji will be (interacting) with Kevats, fishermen and common masses during the three-day ‘Ganga Yatra’ from Sangam to Kashi. This is not a not one-sided ‘Mann ki Baat’ but real dialogue with the people,” UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar tweeted.
Priyanka’s tour will focus on Sanchi Baat Priyanka ke Saath in which she will talk to people during her 140 kms long travel on a steamer boat to Assi Ghat in Varanasi.
Speaking on the schedule of Priyanka’s campaign, senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, “She will meet the poor communities living on both sides of the river bank like fishermen, farmers, Kevats. Her first-night halt will be at Sitamarhi, on the second day she will visit Chunar and, the third day, she will reach Assi Ghat in Varanasi."
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Babbar said: “We are leaving seven seats vacant for SP, BSP, and RLD. These are Mainpuri, Kannauj, Firozabad and the seats from where Mayawati ji, RLD’s Jayant ji and Ajit Singh will contest the ensuing Lok Sabha election.”
“We have also decided to give two seats to the Apna Dal — Gonda and Pilibhit,” said Babbar, adding that the Congress party would chalk out a plan to work with the Mahan Dal as they have agreed to contest on the Congress symbol.
Babbar also said the Congress party has reached an agreement on seven seats with the Jan Adhikar party (JAP). “Out of those seven, JAP will fight on five and we will fight on two seats,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that SP, BSP, and RLD have forged an alliance to take on the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in the state. The SP-BSP alliance left two seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi respectively. As per the seat-sharing agreement, SP is contesting 37 seats and BSP 38. Three seats have been given to the RLD -- Mathura, Muzaffarpur, and Baghpat.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls during all seven phases of the election to be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will be done on May 23. (ANI)