UP Elections 2022: Congress announces these names as star campaigners for 1st phase

With the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections set to begin in a couple of weeks, Congress has announced a list of star campaigners to mount a challenge in the state. On Monday (January 24), the party released a list of 30 big names for the first phase beginning from February 10.

The biggest names include former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, senior leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot.

Congress releases a list of 30 star campaigners for the first phase of #UttarPradeshElections

Party chief Sonia Gandhi, ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh, party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Sachin Pilot & others to campaign. pic.twitter.com/dyk02cq4Ca

— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2022

A similar list was earlier released by the BJP featuring 30 stalwarts highlighted by PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party president J P Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Smriti Irani and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

BJP excluded mother-son Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi from their star campaigners list, despite being winning candidates in UP’s Sultanpur and Pilibhit for the party for many years. The mother-son duo was recently also excluded from the party’s national executive committee.

Uttar Pradesh, with its 403 constituencies, will go to polls in 7 phases starting from February 10 and ending on March 7, with counting of results scheduled for March 10.