LUCKNOW: The newly elected mayors of Uttar Pradesh have been assigned their first civic mission: go to Gujarat and repel Rahul Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met the 16 new civic chiefs of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and directed them to campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections, party sources said. They include 14 mayors.

A BJP source said the 16 politicians would leave for Gujarat along with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday.

Mahesh Sonkar, the chairperson of the Jayas Nagar Palika Parishad, said he would go to Modi's home state to "tell the people not to take Rahul Gandhi seriously because he has not done any development in Amethi". Sonkar'sNagar Palika falls in Amethi, Rahul's Lok Sabha seat.

Modi tweeted about the "wonderful interaction" with the mayors and "wished them the very best as they begin their responsibilities towards contributing to UP's and India's development journey".

-The Telegraph Calcutta