New Delhi: In what may give a jolt to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s fight in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Maurya, the face of grand old party's ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ campaign may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the assembly polls.
Extremely upset with the Congress leadership for being sidelined by the party in the run-up to the assembly elections, Maurya may join the BJP on Thursday, sources said, India Today reported.
Maurya, the vice-president of Mahila Congress in Uttar Pradesh, said that ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ has just “remained a slogan”.
“I worked hard for the people of my constituency. We were used to attract the votes of women, but when it came to our rights, we were sidelined. I am in discussion with BJP. Very soon, you will see that I will be with BJP,” she told Times Now.
Maurya had earlier alleged that the Congress’ distribution of tickets ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls was rigged.
“They [Congress] used my face, my name and my 10 lakh social media followers for the campaign. But when it came to the ticket for the upcoming election, it was given to someone else. This is injustice. It is all pre-decided,” Maurya said, India Today reported.
“I did not get the ticket because I am an OBC [Other Backward Classes] girl and could not bribe Priyanka Gandhi’s secretary Sandeep Singh,” she added.
Maurya had earlier in a video posted on her Twitter handle alleged that the Congress’ ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ campaign was a hoax.
“People will say that if you do not get the ticket, then you and bound to say this. Investigate yourself and then find out. We were told that we have to prepare for 2024. The Congress has not been able to beat the 'jumlas' of BJP,” she said in a pinned tweet in Hindi.
Voting for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes will be held on March 10.