Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday launched her party's campaign for the 2017 UP Assembly elections in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency.  She is being accompanied by a feisty throng of 10,000 bikers. Congress poll campaign in the politically crucial Hindi heartland state goes with the punch line 27 saal, UP Behal (No progress in UP for 27 years). Most posters and banners has this catchphrase. Flanked by senior leaders of her party, Mrs Gandhi will set off on a 6.4 km road showthrough the city post-lunch in an open mini truck and will address a rally at the end of it.  She will also visit the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in the evening before leaving for Delhi. Raj Babbar and the Congress' chief ministerial candidate for the state Sheila Dikshit are accompanying Mrs Gandhi as is Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Congress leader in charge of UP. 

"Yes we need a chamatkaar (miracle) in Uttar Pradesh but it has happened in the past too, even 2014 was a miracle for our opponents and we are hoping there will be a miracle this time too," said Mr Babbar whose party hopes to reverse its trend of placing last in recent elections in the state. Recently soon after Sheila and a host of other senior leaders concerned with UP campaign were packed in a bus to Kanpur, a yatra flagged off by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit had fallen sick and had to return to her Delhi home for rest and medical check-up.