INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
leading the preparations and campaigning for the Congress in eastern Uttar Pradesh ahead of the national election, is set to begin a mega
three-day boat ride in the river Ganges from Prayagraj today
The 47-year-old's last stop will be Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency
She will cover a stretch 140 kilometres.On her boat ride, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make pit-stops and interact with people who live by the
river and seek support for the party for the Lok Sabha polls
Many of these communities come under the other backward castes or scheduled castes groupings and together, they make up a significant chunk
of voters.Ms Gandhi, who entered active politics in January after years of speculation, said she would contact people using various means of
transportation, including waterways, buses, train and padayatra (on foot)
"River Ganga is a symbol of truth and equality
It is also a symbol of our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (Ganga-Yamuna culture)
It does not differentiate among people
Ganga-ji is the lifeline of Uttar Pradesh and with her support I will reach you," she wrote in an open letter to the people of Uttar
Pradesh.A host of visits to temples and dargahs are also planned along the route where her steamer would make stops.Priyanka Gandhi is also
expected to focus on campaigning against the BJP government's claim of having cleaned up the Ganges through her motor bride and
interactions.She will also meet the family of CRPF soldier Mahesh Raj Yadav who lost his life in the Pulwama terror attack.On Wednesday, she
will visit the ancestral house of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Varanasi.Priyanka Gandhi met with party workers in Lucknow on
Sunday and spent the night at Swaraj Bhawan in Prayagraj where her grandmother, former prime minister Indira Gandhi was born.She will end
her trip in Varanasi on Wednesday, a day before the festival of Holi
Her itinerary in the holy city includes visits to temples, interactions with weavers, and also a 'Holi Milan' programme.This is her second
visit to Uttar Pradesh after being appointed the party's general secretary.There have been questions on the Congress's handling of a
politically crucial state like Uttar Pradesh, which sends the most number of lawmakers to parliament
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into politics will make "no difference" to the BJP's Lok Sabha poll
prospects in the state and dismissed the SP-BSP alliance as "false alarm".Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule
for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on TheIndianSubcontinent.com/elections
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