Congress general secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi. | Photo Credit: ANI

Amethi: Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday gave fresh fodder to the rumour mills that are curious to know when she would take the plunge and contest elections.

Speaking while campaigning for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha election in Amethi, Priyanka asked her party workers to prepare for the UP assembly polls that are scheduled to be held in 2022.

“Tayyari kar rahe ho aap chunaav ki? Iss wale ki nahi, 2022 ke liye? Kar rahe ho? Kaam karna padhega (Are you preparing for the elections? Not for this (general elections), for 2022 (UP assembly elections)? Are you doing? You (workers) need to work hard for that,” she urged enthusiastic party workers.

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She made the statement while attending an event organised by local party workers. Interestingly, she also said that she had not decided yet if should would be contesting the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections but said she would do so if her party asks her to. "I've not decided yet; If my party asks me to contest, I will definitely contest. My wish is to work for the party," she had said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is on a three-day trip to Uttar Pradesh, starting Wednesday when she visited her brother Rahul Gandhi’s constituency of Amethi. She has been campaigning rigorously in UP ever since she formally entered active politics in January. She will now campaign in Raebareli and Ayodhya as part of her campaign tour.

Amethi: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary for eastern UP, meets supporters in Gauriganj. pic.twitter.com/H65pM8RV5c — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 27, 2019

Amethi has remained a Nehru-Gandhi bastion since the 1980 and a Congress stronghold since 1966. However, this time around, the battle for Amethi seems stiff for Rahul as Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from the seat, Smriti Irani, is expected to give him a tough competition following a shift in allegiances within the town as locals complain lack of development under the Gandhi rule. Subsequently, there are rumours of him contesting from ‘safe seat’ Wayanad in north Kerala, which party workers predict will be a sure-shot victory for the Congress president.