congress postponed lucknow rally to avoid spoiling relations with samajwadi party

Lucknow. Keeping in mind that the relations of Congress with Samajwadi Party, the big ‘player’ of India Alliance in Uttar Pradesh, should not deteriorate, Congress is taking every step cautiously. Due to this, the rally of Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi proposed in Lucknow in September has now been postponed till the assembly by-election. Whereas after the results of the Lok Sabha elections, the state Congress had decided to hold a rally in Lucknow. Actually, after India Alliance won more seats than NDA in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress had organized the rally of Rahul and Kharge to build its support base in the state afresh. The date of the rally was not decided, but the central leadership had verbally agreed. Congress did not want to clash with SP by holding a rally without taking Samajwadi Party, but somewhere it is playing politics of pressure.

Due to this, Congress, excited by the results of the Lok Sabha elections, is pressurizing the Samajwadi Party to field its candidates on five seats in the assembly by-elections. The final decision is to be taken from Delhi, the state Congress has staked its claim on those seats on which BJP candidates had won in the last assembly elections. Assembly by-elections are to be held on 10 assembly seats in the state. Congress was feeling that the Congress rally in Lucknow will strengthen the SP-Congress alliance in the state, which will benefit it in the elections, but the Samajwadi Party had a different thinking. SP leaders felt that Congress was holding the rally to expand its base in UP. Regarding the rally, state Congress president Ajay Rai said that preparations had been started to organize the rally at Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan in Lucknow. At present, the central leadership has made it clear that now the rally will be held only after the by-elections.