New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that her party will have an open mind on forging an alliance for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2022. Vadra is in Lucknow to give a push to the Congress party and stop the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from returning to power."I do not rule out (alliance). We are absolutely not closed-minded. We are having an open mind," said Vadra. "Our aim is to defeat the BJP," she added.

The Congress leader also urged other parties to have an open mind. Vadra said that the party organization is also her area of focus, and emphasised that a lot of work have been done on it, but in a silent manner.

"We have done the maximum work during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see that we are the ones who have raised issues. Congress is no longer confined to garlanding photographs. Our party has been out of power for 30-32 years, and it has become weak. However, full efforts have been made, and a lot of energy has come (into the party)," the Congress general secretary added.

Vadra later interacted with senior party leaders of the state, including UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, co-in-charge of Uttar Pradesh DheerajGurjar, party spokesperson Ashok Singh and NaseemuddinSiddiqui.Though the entire state unit of the Congress party is rallying behind Vadra hoping her canvassing across the state will revive the fortunes of the party. So far, that has not happened.“We are hopeful that her visit will help in gearing up the party organization for the 2022 UP assembly elections,” a senior leader of the party said on Friday when Vadra visited Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters in Lucknow.