Priyanka Gandhi kickstarts Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti hoon campaign for UP polls

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today launched the party’s 100 days action plan for the “Adhi Abadi”, an outreach programme for women voters in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Chitrakoot’s Ram Ghat today to launch the programme.

The Congress general secretary is betting high by announcing that 40 per cent tickets will be given to women in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The Congress leader has also made big promises to woo women voters and for which a separate manifesto has been prepared.

Some of the key promises include smartphone and two-wheelers for college-going girls, three cylinders for free for housewives, free travel for women in government buses, an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month to ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and old age-widow pension of Rs 1000 per month.

To give an edge to this mission, the Uttar Pradesh Congress has prepared an action plan for the next 100 days. There are about 7 crore women voters in the state and Priyanka Gandhi’s banking on this significant portion of the electorate.

According to sources, the Congress is also going to commence a big public relations campaign to reach out to four crore women voters in the next 100 days. A brigade of around 8,000 woman volunteers has been assigned for the task with the slogan “Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon”.

As many as 150 professionals are working on this campaign. The brigade will reach about 2 lakh women daily and convey the promises of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to them.

Congress has prepared one crore pink silicone bands and attractive stickers for the campaign. Incidents of crime against women and the issue of inflation will also be raised during the campaign.

At present, there are about 7 crore women voters in the state. About 4 crore women had voted in the last assembly elections. Interestingly, the women voters turnout was 4 per cent more 63 per cent as compared to 59 per cent of men. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections also, women voters turnout had been 1 per cent more than men.

According to Congress strategists, about 60 per cent of the women voters are in the age group of 18 to 35. The party has a special eye on this 60 per cent youth.