 "Rahul Gandhi exhorts Uttar Pradesh MPs to double state tally in 2014")
In the midst of hectic political developments in the UPA today, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today exhorted party MPs from Uttar Pradesh to work towards defeating the Samajwadi Party and the BSP there in the Lok Sabha polls.
Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma who is in the eye of the storm over his unsavoury comments on the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was also present at the meeting.
Sources said, Gandhi expressed confidence that the Congress this time around would double its tally from 22 seats.
Gandhi reportedly told his party MPs, “The way the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the BJP have been discredited in Uttar Pradesh, we ( Congress ) are sure to double our present tally of 22 if we were to work together and set aside our differences.”
Rahul Gandhi has been involved in party reorganization in the build up to 2014. Union ministers from UP, who attended the meeting confirmed that there were no indications of Verma being forced to resign, as was being demanded by the SP chief.
While the Congress stunned everyone by netting in 22 seats in 2009, it cut a sorry figure in the Assembly polls last year managing only 28 seats. This time around the party hopes to improve its numbers.
Even as the Congress depends on the SP for its survival at the Centre, it sits in Opposition in the UP Assembly and is very certain that it will go it alone in 2014 general elections.
Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma who is in the eye of the storm over his unsavoury comments on the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was also present at the meeting.
Sources said, Gandhi expressed confidence that the Congress this time around would double its tally from 22 seats.
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The SP extends outside support to the UPA but with the recent pull out of the DMK, its position with 22 seats has become crucial for the survival of the government.
Gandhi reportedly told his party MPs, “The way the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the BJP have been discredited in Uttar Pradesh, we ( Congress ) are sure to double our present tally of 22 if we were to work together and set aside our differences.”
Rahul Gandhi has been involved in party reorganization in the build up to 2014. Union ministers from UP, who attended the meeting confirmed that there were no indications of Verma being forced to resign, as was being demanded by the SP chief.
While the Congress stunned everyone by netting in 22 seats in 2009, it cut a sorry figure in the Assembly polls last year managing only 28 seats. This time around the party hopes to improve its numbers.
Even as the Congress depends on the SP for its survival at the Centre, it sits in Opposition in the UP Assembly and is very certain that it will go it alone in 2014 general elections.