Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav joined forces in a joint press conference held in Ghaziabad on Wednesday, two days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Contesting under the banner of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, the two leaders pledged to campaign for Congress's candidate Dolly Sharma, in a show of their united stance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing a question on their show of unity, Yadav said, “Electoral bond ne inka band baja diya… BJP sabhi bharshtachariyon ka godaam ban gayi”. 






During the press conference, Akhilesh stated that they together would wipe out the BJP from Ghaziabad to Gazipur. “I am happy that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Samajwadi Party are doing a press conference together...Today, we are in Ghaziabad and this time INDIA alliance will wipe out BJP from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur. Today, farmers are upset as all the promises of BJP turned out to be fake”.






Echoing Yadav’s sentiments, Rahul Gandhi underscored the “ideological divide” in the elections, condemning the BJP’s alleged attempts to undermine the Constitution and democratic principles. He stated, “his election is an election of ideology. On the one hand, RSS and BJP are trying to destroy the Constitution and the democratic system, and on the other hand, the I.N.D.I.A bloc and Congress Party are trying to defend and protect the Constitution and democracy”. 






The leaders jointly accused the BJP of diverting the attention away from pressing issues like unemployment, and inflation. Yadav, criticising the saffron party’s handling of corruption allegations, stating, “I.N.D.I.A gathbandhan nahi, ummeed hai”. 


Responding to questions about his candidature from Amethi or Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that decisions regarding candidate selection are made by the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC). 






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Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency, allocated to Congress by SP, holds a strategic significance in the electoral battleground of UP. With voting scheduled for the first phase on April 19, attention is focused on key constituencies in Western UP, including Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Sambhal.