Sonia tells MPs to prepare for assembly polls

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi today called upon the party MPs to redouble their efforts to ensure good results in the Assembly elections to be held in Punjab, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh in about six months or so.

''One round of State Assembly elections is over and another round will be on us in about six to seven months from now in Punjab, Uttaranachal and Uttar Pradesh,'' she said, while addressing the General Body Meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

''We are the incumbent government in two of these States and must, therefore, double our efforts to ensure good results, ''Mrs Gandhi said.

Thanking the people of Rae Bareli for reposing their trust in her ''so overwhelmingly in spite of the extreme heat, '' she told the CPP office bearers and fellow MPs that she was overwhelmed by their affection and goodwill.

''These feelings and sentiments, as those of lakhs of party workers give me the strength to persevere in the cause of our party and country, '' she observed.

Giving due credit to the party campaigners in Asom for their work which brought the party back to power, the Congress President noted that most polls and observers had written the party off.''But clearly the Congress party's policies, the programmes and projects that our state government had been implementing struck a responsive chord amongst the people,'' she said.

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