145;Rahul ready for UP campaign146;

8220;He has told me that he is willing to face a battering if it so happens. For him, 2007 Assembly elections is just one step in the process of the party8217;s revival in UP. After 2007, the next milestone is 2009 Lok Sabha elections and his planning is long-term,8221; Khurshid said. 8220;I do not hazard a guess on numbers, but Assembly elections will prove that we are on the upswing,8221; he added.

Rahul Gandhi is presently meeting party activists from UP, as part of the election preparations and for candidate selection. The UPCC chief said these meeting were not limited to candidate selection or 2007 Assembly polls but were part of strengthening the party. 8220;In UP, the logic of caste politics has run its course8230; Caste politics, as we know today, is difficult to sustain. It may take longer than the next Assembly elections for the import of this to play out, but the challenge before us is to provide a credible alternative,8221; Khursheed said.