Gonda, Feb 2 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi has accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati of failing to take adequate steps to combat corruption.

"Mayawati dismissed 21 of her ministers on election eve. She was not able to see their corruption in the past five years. I want to ask whether accepting resignations made her government clean. A point to ponder here is that it''s all a stunt to deceive you people. Such a drama is only aimed at deceiving the people in the state," Gandhi told a rally in Gonda.

Gandhi also said that previous governments too had ruined Uttar Pradesh.

She said a Congress government would work for the benefit of the common man.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country''s fifth largest and most populous state.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted between February 8 and March 3, and the counting will take place on March 6.

The polls will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)