AGRA: Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, who was recently appointed party’s general secretary for eastern UP, will kick-start the party’s campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in the state on Monday with a road show in Lucknow. The two will be seen on a modified bulletproof bus, which was used by Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh for his campaign in the 2017 assembly elections. Punjab poll results, where the Congress scored a historic victory, winning 77 of the 117 seats, had provided a shot in the arm for the party after a streak of defeats in assembly elections in several states.According to party sources, the “lucky” bus, with a hydraulic seat that comes out of the rooftop with the click of a button, arrived in Lucknow from Punjab late on Saturday evening. The air-conditioned bus has a seating capacity of about 12 people and is equipped with a high-tech public-address system and a small pantry.“The bus proved extremely lucky for the party in 2017 elections in Punjab, where AAP was being dubbed as the front runner in several pre-poll surveys. The outcome of the Punjab elections set the course for the Congress revival and we hope that this time, too, winds of change will blow in UP,” said a senior Congress leader.Party sources said that that bus is being given an exterior “overhaul” with posters and pictures of Rahul and Priyanka.Speaking with TOI, AICC member and UP Congress spokesperson, Zeeshan Haider, said that the AICC president’s roadshow will be of around 17 km, starting at the Amausi airport and ending at the party’s office in Lucknow.“We have planned their welcome at about 50 places between this stretch,” said Haider, adding that Priyanka Gandhi will address the public at the Noor Manzil crossing. He claimed around one lakh party workers will be present in the road show.AICC spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh told TOI that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will return to Delhi on the same evening and the road show will be followed by meetings with party leaders at the state headquarters.However, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia will be in Lucknow till February 14 to hold meetings with party workers, coordinators, department heads to plan the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

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