Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed on Wednesday that the BJP will lose badly in Uttar Pradesh.

The 47-year-old Vadra was speaking to reporters in Raebareli, where she is campaigning for her mother, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

“BJP will suffer a major setback in UP, they’ll lose badly. In those seats where Congress is strong and our candidates are giving a tough fight, Congress will win,” she said.

“Jahan hamare ummedwar thode halke hain, wahan humne aise ummedwar diye hain jo BJP ka vote kaate (In places where we are weak, the Congress candidates will cut the votes for the BJP),” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

The BJP had won 70 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. The tally has since come down to 68 following the losses of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in by-elections.

The Congress general secretary also met Congress supporters in Baghola of Raebareli.

Earlier on 28 April, Vadra had in Amethi said that the people of the country are aware of the real issues and they will vote on the basis of these issues.

She has constantly attacked the ruling BJP at the Centre and the state of not listening to the grievances of the people and suppressing them.

Priyanka was in Amethi, campaigning for her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is contesting from the constituency.

“Issues are clear. They are employment, education and health. Nationalism is to solve the problems of the people. Here they (BJP) don’t listen to people and when they raise their issues they suppress them. It’s neither democracy nor nationalism,” she said.

“The way they contest polls by distributing money, sarees and shoes in front of media is wrong. People of Amethi have never begged in front of anyone. I’ve been coming here since I was 12 and I have seen that the people of Amethi and Raebareli have a lot of pride,” said Priyanka, in an apparent reference to Union Minister Smriti Irani for distributing shoes to the people of Amethi, as reported by news agency ANI.

Earlier on Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had expressed her displeasure over MHA notice to Rahul Gandhi over his citizenship after receiving a complaint from Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.

“The whole of India knows that Rahul Gandhi is an Indian. People have seen him being born and grow up in India. What is this nonsense?” Priyanka Gandhi said in Amethi.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had on Tuesday asked Rahul Gandhi to intimate the factual position in the matter within a fortnight.