Back to the roots

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, who has roots in western UP, has been deployed to seek votes

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, who has roots in western Uttar Pradesh, has been deployed by party Vice-president Rahul Gandhi to seek votes for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance. Over the past few days, Pilot has addressed rallies across western UP districts such as Bulandshahr, Shamli and Bhagpat, where the alliance is trying to woo the Muslims. On the eve of phase I polling on Saturday, Pilot appealed to voters to cast their ballots sensibly and support a party that would take the state ahead. Pilot’s father and former Union minister Rajesh Pilot was born in Viadpura village of Ghaziabad, near  Delhi. Later, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi brought Pilot senior into politics. However, Rajesh Pilot contested his first election from Bharatpur in Rajasthan in 1980. He later shifted to Dausa.