Congress launches 'Ladki hoon lad Sakti hoon' song for UP polls; invoke Mahishasurmardini

Pitching women empowerment as its prime poll pitch, UP Congress launched its campaign song on Wednesday, based on the Hindu hymn - 'Mahishasurmardini stotra'. In the 2-minute video, Congress displays women working fearlessly in all fields of life- Army, dance, music, engineering, law, medicine etc. Sharing glimpses of Priyanka Vadra's face-off with UP police while visiting Hathras gang-rape victim's kin, Congress declares 'I am not weak, I am Durga, I am strong, I am a girl, I can fight'. The 403-seat UP assembly where Yogi rules with an iron-clad majority of 314 seats, is up for battle in February 2022.

Congress launches campaign song

Other campaign songs

Previously, SP had launched its own campaign song 'Khadeda Hoibe', based on Mamata Banerjee's highly popular 'Khela Hobe' (Game is on) slogan. Sharing visuals of Akhilesh Yadav's jam-packed Vijaya Yatra, SP proclaimed that 'BJP has fallen flat on its face' in its song. The song announces an SP victory, adding that 'votes will be amassed in unlimited numbers in this election'.

Similarly, BJP has launched two songs - 'Cha Gayi Yogi Sarkar' and 'Jab se Yogi Ji Bane CM'. BJP's songs plays on the slogan 'BJP will come again'. From crackdown on cheating in exams to increasing employment in the state, the video shows various developmental work carried out by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh. SP claimed that Yogi Adityanath's campaign song 'Cha Gayi re' was a dead ringer of the its 2017 campaign song  'Kam Bolta hai' song which also touted his government's works.

Congress' UP poll campaign

Setting Congress' agenda in Uttar Pradesh, UP General secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra issued seven promises if voted to power in 2022. Addressing a public meeting at Barabanki, Vadra promised - 40% poll tickets to women, free e-Scooty & mobile phones for school girls, complete loan waiver for farmers, procurement of wheat-paddy at Rs 2500/quintal & sugarcane at Rs 400/quintal, 20 lakh government jobs and part waiver of electricity bills (Full waiver during COVID-19 lockdown), Rs 25,000/family cash disbursal. Vadra has been chosen as Congress' face for its UP campaign and has been leading from the front.

With BJP fighting under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. SP chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav has stated that SP will only ally with smaller political parties for the 2022 Assembly polls, tying up with NCP, Mahan Dal, SBSP, RLD and other outfits while keeping its doors open to alliance with AAP, AIMIM and PSPL. Mayawati has already announced that her party will fight polls alone in UP and Uttarakhand, while allying only with Akali Dal in Punjab. Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return.