New Congress team gears up for do-or-die battle in Uttar Pradesh polls

Lucknow: Congress' newly-elected office-bearers of Uttar Pradesh unit on Sunday assumed charge in the presence of party's chief ministerial face Shiela Dikshit, hoping to swing fortune its way in the 2017 Assembly elections, being billed as a 'do-or-die' battle for the party.

It was flowers all the way from the city airport to the Congress headquarters on Mall Road as the cavalcade of new state PCC chief Raj Babbar and Dikshit meandered through 16 km-long route dotted with welcome arches and chock-a-block with enthusiastic party workers showering rose petals and shouting slogans.

"We will fan out to the interiors of the state and tell the voters that Congress can give a viable alterative to the state," Dikshit told reporters.

"The manner in which UP should have developed that has not taken place in the last 27 years," she said, flanked by Babbar and other newly-appointed party functionaries.

Dikshit said ND Tiwari was the last Congress chief minister during whose tenure the state had made significant progress.

The UPCC chief claimed the party would storm back to power after remaining in political wilderness in the state for nearly three decades.

"It is not about 'I', it is about 'we'," Babbar said.

"We will seek blessing from all and march towards a grand victory in the 2017 Assembly polls," he asserted.

"Our mission is to pull out Uttar Pradesh from misgovernance of 27 long years," he claimed.

The new team appointed by the party includes Sanjay Singh, Chief of the Campaign Committee, RPN Singh, senior vice-president and four vice-presidents.

The party has planned "massive" outreach programmes next month for which district chiefs have been asked to submit details.

Dikshit has decided to extensively tour the entire state as soon as the district and the block-level programmes are ready.

Congress has been out of power in the state for almost 27 years now.