She is in the midst of a battle. Besides, contesting her own election, she is leading the Congress to what, many hope, will be a grand revival for the party after 22 years of political exile in Uttar Pradesh.
In an exclusive interview, UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi talks about the position of the Congress and its prospects in the polls. Excerpts:

Q: With a few days left for polling to begin, how do rate the chances of Congress in these Assembly polls?
A: We are locked in a triangular contest with the Samajwadi Party and the BSP. The BJP is out of the scene because the crisis of their internal leadership is acute and Uma Bharti has added to the crisis. The BJP’s crusade against corruption has also petered out after they inducted Kushwaha and Badshah Singh. The disclosures in the NRHM case are the icing on the BJP cake.

Q: But why should the people vote for the Congress which has been a non-player on the political stage so far?
A: People have seen the BJP, SP and the BSP in the past 22 years and are yearning for a change. Rahul Gandhi’s whirlwind tour of UP in which he has held more than 110 meetings, covering 40 districts has turned development into a major poll agenda. Besides, the youth will not vote for religion or caste because they want development, they want a future.

Q: But the Samajwadi Party is also projecting a youth leader in Akhilesh Yadav.
A: Akhilesh Yadav is no match for Rahul Gandhi. Besides, the Samajwadi Party has gone on record to say that if they get to form government, then Mulayam Singh Yadav will be the chief minister. People have tasted Mulayam’s regime and would certainly not want a replay.

Q: The Congress has not projected anyone as chief minister and the party lacks a “face” in the polls.
A: The Congress is not a one-man party, like SP or BSP, and there is democracy in the party. We can wait for MLAs to elect their own leader. Besides, right from Gobind Ballabh Pant to N.D. Tiwari, we have not had a single “failure”. The message is clear — our chief minister will work within the framework set up by the party and an individual does not matter.

Q: Will the Anna factor work against the Congress in UP? How is your corruption different to the corruption of others?
A: The fact that Anna has withdrawn form the campaign proves that it is no longer a factor in UP. As far as corruption is concerned, the Congress has acted as soon as someone was found guilty and the party has never attempted to shield them. In UP, 21 ministers were dropped on charges of corruption but not even a single FIR was registered against them. If R.P. Jaiswal, an accused in the NRHM case, was denied ticket, his wife has been fielded by the BSP. Similarly, the BJP has inducted the NRHM accused Kushwaha and a tainted leader like Badshah Singh. We have stayed away from the temptation of picking up such candidates.

Q: If the Congress does manage to revive itself in these elections, what would be the one factor responsible for it?
A: Undoubtedly, Rahul Gandhi. He has single-handedly broken the caste mould in UP and his seven year effort is showing results. He has forced all parties to talk of development and we are very proud of his contribution. The situation has changed to such an extent that when Mulayam Singh called in Bukhari and tried to communalism the atmosphere, it had a negative impact on the voters. BJP also tried to communalism the situation by giving a religious angle to 4.5 per cent reservation for Muslims but they have failed too.

Q: In case no party gets a full majority, will the Congress again support another party?
A: If there has to be a coalition, it is the Congress that will lead. Otherwise, we are ready to sit in the Opposition. Rahul ji is already clarifying this in his speeches so other parties need to stop dreaming about getting Congress support this time.

Q: If the Congress does form government — with or without support — what will be the priority areas of the party?
A: Firstly, we will ensure independence in bureaucratic functioning and free the bureaucracy form political influence. Secondly, corruption will be weeded out firmly. Thirdly, our focus will be on improving the law and order situation.
The fourth will be improvement in the power sector because this adversely affects industrialisation. Last but not the least, we will aim fro employment generation at all levels.