The opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh are yet to hit the streets with their election campaigns even as the Lok Sabha polls are just round the corner.

In contrast, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday came out with its list of star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president J P Nadda, for the upcoming polls.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started his election campaign from Mathura from March 27, while Modi’s first election rally will be held in Meerut on March 31.

None of the opposition parties of the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or the Samajwadi Party (SP) have announced the election programs of their key leaders.

Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc have planned a mega rally in Delhi on March 31 as a show of solidarity against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.

Sources said the opposition parties are planning to start campaigning in the northern state after the Delhi rally, adding that the selection of candidates can also be a reason for the delay.

SP’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary says party chief Akhilesh Yadav will take part in the mega rally in Delhi on March 31. “After that he will hold public meetings in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Party sources also claimed that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have not given their consent for even a single programme in the state yet. In such a situation, party candidates and local leaders are much confused.

UP Congress spokesperson C P Rai also said that the party will hit the streets after the Delhi rally.

BSP chief Mayawati is also expected to start campaigning in western Uttar Pradesh in the first week of April. The party leaders will also go to Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh to campaign. The party has not yet decided its star campaigners for the UP elections.

The BSP, however, has released the list of its 40 star campaigners in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The party’s national coordinator Akash Anand is going to start the election campaign from April 6, sources added.