UP: in revival mode

8220;For the Congress this was the semi-final while the final will be played later for which ground preparations have started from day one,...

8220;For the Congress this was the semi-final while the final will be played later for which ground preparations have started from day one,8217;8217; said a senior Congress leader on the party8217;s plans in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress is meanwhile examining the reasons that led its poll percentage to fall from 13.5 to 12. It got only nine seats despite it being popular in at least 15 pockets, including seven where Rahul Gandhi8217;s roadshows had generated a huge response. Congress workers in the state are now demanding that Rahul be entrusted with the responsibility of 8216;8216;operation overhaul8217;8217;. 8216;8216;Demands from the party workers in different districts are coming for roping in Rahulji in the exercise to rejuvenate the party in the state,8217;8217; said party spokesman Virendra Madan.

With the BJP already being pushed to a backstage in the state with only 10 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls and its vote percentage plummeting to 22.2, the first target for the Congress in the state will be to weaken the Samajwadi Party to regain its lost support base among the minority community.

Muslims in the state have already begun to warm up to the Congress, a sign that became evident during Sonia and Rahul8217;s roadshows. Though that warmth didn8217;t translate into votes, the Congress is hoping it eventually will. The Samajwadi Party is likely to remain at the receiving end of the Congress8217; 8216;8216;operational revival8217;8217; in the state. Party sources say the real 8216;8216;dismantle SP8217;8217; campaign will start after the Maharashtra assembly polls in September and the final strategy on the fate of the Mulayam Singh government will be made only after results of the Bihar assembly elections in January next year.

8216;8216;By renouncing the PM8217;s post, Sonia Gandhi has already become a cult figure while Rahul-Priyanka will work to motivate the youth to join the party. We will strike the Mulayam government at the right moment,8217;8217; said a senior Congress leader.

The Common Minimum Programme CMP, meanwhile, will further ensure that the Congress usurps Mulayam8217;s agenda in Uttar Pradesh. 8216;8216;The CMP at the centre will be nothing but an extended version of Mulayam8217;s agenda of governance in the state which means the Congress is set to get the credit for the jobs it will do under the CMP,8217;8217; said a party leader.

The Congress plan is to woo the BSP, once its through with its 8216;dismantle SP8217; operation. The Congress will try to dent the BSP votebank with central policies tailored to benefit Dalits. And the BSP will find it a bit difficult to quibble with that.