Will Congress hurt BJP's vote share in UP? Here's what Priyanka Gandhi said

Lucknow, May 01: Confident of party's victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday said that the grand old party had fielded candidates who would chew into BJP's vote share but not hurt the gathbandhan.

"I am confident that BJP will face huge losses in UP. The Congress is cutting down on BJP's vote share and not the UP Mahagathbandhan's," she said.

Speaking to the media during campaigning in UP on Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi said "My strategy is very clear. Congress will win on the seats where our candidates are strong. Where our candidates are slightly lightweight, they will cut into BJP's vote share."

Jahan hamare ummeedwar thode halke hain, wahan humne aise ummedwar diye hain jo BJP ka vote kaate (Those seats where our candidates are a little weak, we have fielded such people who can cut into the BJP vote bank)".

Priyanka on Tuesday said she had the "responsibility of looking after 41 seats and could not focus on just one". "I didn't pull out...I took the advice of all senior leaders of our party and the advice of my colleagues in Uttar Pradesh and they firmly felt that I have a responsibility of looking after 41 seats," she told newspersons in Amethi from where her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election.

"All my candidates are still wanting me to go to their constituencies and I felt that they will be a little disappointed if I focussed only on one place," she said, explaining the reason behind taking the decision.

Priyanka is in-charge of 41 Lok Sabha seats in the eastern part of the state.

Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats and another party general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia is in charge of the remaining constituencies.

To a question on whether deciding against contesting in the constituency would send a wrong signal, she said, "No I don't think so...I had said from the start that I will do what my party says...my party decided this and I am happy to follow the instructions."

Earlier, there was a buzz that Priyanka would fight the election from the prestigious seat.

She had sent ripples across the political spectrum with her reply to party workers' request to contest the ongoing general elections from her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli.