UP: Cong hoping to recreate mayoral poll magic

Lucknow, Apr 24: It is 'Luck now' or never for the Congress to resurrect its poll fortunes in the BJP citadel of Lucknow.

Congress, which over the years has virtually been reduced to a fringe outfit vis-a-vis other major parties in Uttar Pradesh like BJP, BSP and the ruling Samajwadi Party, is hoping to recreate some magic of the last Lucknow mayoral poll and open its account here in the ongoing assembly election.

In the 2006 mayoral poll, Congress nominee Prof Manzoor Ahmad almost pipped BJP candidate Dr Dinesh Sharma at the post, much to the chagrin of the saffron party and to greater surprise and comfort of the India's oldest political outfit.

However, Dr Sharma, a teacher by profession, was declared winner after the final rounds of voting by a thin margin, which Congress still alleges was ''engineered'' for vested interests by the ruling Samajwadi Party.

Congress has fielded Prof Ahmad from Lucknow Central assembly constituency. He is a close confidant of senior Congress leader and union minister of state for steel Dr Akhilesh Das. Interestingly, Dr Das is a former Lucknow mayor.

To enthuse the party cadre and consolidate its votebank, especially the youth, Congress MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi canvassed in Lucknow yesterday, while former Prime Minister and BJP patriarch Atal Behari Vajpayee has also given an indication of canvassing in his Lok Sabha constituency, if his fragile health allows.

The largely urban constituency of Lucknow, which goes to the polls on April 28 in the fifth of the grueling seven-phase UP poll, is being watched with bated breath both by BJP and Congress, which the latter claims will be a direct fight with the former.

While BJP is sparing no efforts to retain its supremacy in Mr Vajpayee's parliamentary constituency and further consolidate its tally from four, Congress seeks to capitalise on its last good showing in mayoral poll and open its account in Lucknow.

Talking to UNI, UP Congress chief spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh exuded confidence that his party would win six of the total eight assembly seats, whose fate would be sealed on April 28 in electronic voting machines (EVMs).

''We will definitely win six seats in Lucknow. Even in the mayoral poll, we would almost have romped home, but for a conspiracy against Prof Ahmad. This time we have our star campaigners Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi with us, which has only improved our prospects manifold,'' he asserted.

UNI