Rahul Gandhi's roadshow in UP

In an apparent bid to boost the party's prospects in the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will embark on a three-day roadshow beginning on March 18 from Ghaziabad.

Rahul will cover as many as 32 constituencies in the western region of the state, including Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad and Bareilly during the roadshow, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee organisational secretary Satyadeo Tripathi told reporters in Lucknow Thursday. Significantly none of these constituencies will go to polls in the first phase of elections on April 7. The assembly constituencies to be covered by Rahul includes several Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal strongholds and Muslim-dominated areas.

Tripathi, however, said Rahul will visit the constituencies slated to witness voting in the first phase and the schedule will be announced soon. State party leaders have been demanding that Rahul should take active part in state's election campaign. A senior Congress leader said Rahul's roadshow is an indicator that the party is taking the elections seriously.

Sources said Rahul played a crucial role in the selection of party candidate for the elections and had also conducted interviews with prospective candidates in Delhi recently. The party's list is yet to be released.