Battle for UP: Cong deputes team for Asha Singh' campaign

A team of Congress leaders have been sent to Unnao to help Asha Singh in her campaign.

Asha Singh, mother of Unnao rape victim, is the Congress candidate for the Unnao Assembly seat. The team that will assist Asha Singh is from Madhya Pradesh according to party sources.

"UPCC has set up a new party organisation structure in Unnao and the special team comprising Mahendra Singh (Bhopal) and Sonia Shukla (Indore) is responsible for preparations for filing Asha Singh's nomination papers and also assist the candidate in strategic campaigning for the 2022 Assembly polls," said a party spokesman.

Sonia Shukla said, "As of now, work on collection of all the documents, including no objection certificates (NOCs), etc., needed for filing nomination papers is in progress. The filing of nomination papers will begin in Unnao constituency on January 27. So, we propose to file her nomination papers in the next few days. We will soon work out a final date for filing of her nomination papers."

Shukla claimed though things had improved to some extent now, a sense of some fear prevailed earlier when she reached Unnao.

"A sense of fear persisted when I came here (Unnao). I faced threats as people called, asking me to go back. About two to three people came at a meeting and said bullet proof jackets will be needed for campaigning in the constituency. Things are getting better now," she said.

Unnao District Congress Committee (DCC) acting president Yusuf Faruq Khurram said the Congress' team of Unnao was getting ready for campaigning. He said DCC president Arti Bajpai was also contesting the 2022 Assembly polls and so he had been given charge as acting party chief.

Sources said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was taking keen personal interest in Asha Singh's campaign.

It may be recalled that Asha Singh is the mother of the 17-year-old girl who was gang raped in Unnao on June 4, 2017.

Former BJP member Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted for the rape in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Asha Singh's husband was also brutally beaten, allegedly by Sengar's brother, and died.

Asha Singh's name figured on the Congress' first list of 125 candidates declared on January 13.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said, "Efforts have been made to field candidates who have been struggling and fighting for a cause and who can work to bring about a new way of politics. We will give them the power to fight for their cause."