Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra Begin Campaign In Uttar Pradesh - On Last Day Of Canvassing For Phase 1

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigned for the first time in Uttar Pradesh on the last day of canvassing for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

While Priyanka Vadra held a roadshow in Saharanpur, Rahul Gandhi held a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav in Ghaziabad.

However, voting in Ghaziabad will be held on 26 April. Here Congress candidate is Dolly Sharma, while BJP has fielded incumbent Ghaziabad MLA Atul Garg by cutting the ticket of the sitting MP.

Eight seats in western Uttar Pradesh are going to polls on 19 April. However, of these eight, the Congress is contesting only one seat -- Saharanpur where Imran Masood is the candidate.

The remaining seven seats have an SP candidate as part of the seat-sharing arrangement under the INDI Alliance. In total, the Congress is contesting 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP.

During the press conference, Rahul Gandhi alleged that RSS and BJP are trying to destroy the Constitution and the democratic system and are diverting attention from inflation and unemployment.

After the roadshow, Priyanka Vadra estimated that the BJP would not win more than 180 seats but denied revealing Congress' expected seat tally by saying, "I am not an astrologer."