Congress steps up drive to woo OBCs, Dalits in Uttar Pradesh

The Congress party is ramping up its campaign to attract OBCs, Dalits, and minorities in Uttar Pradesh, aiming to cover all districts by March 31.

When the backward classes wing of the Congress held a convention to woo the OBCs and Dalits in Hardoi on Saturday, it was party’s 18th such move in the past one month. It proposes to step up the campaign to hold more conventions and cover all the remaining districts of Uttar Pradesh by March 31.

The Congress is undertaking the exercise to strengthen its support base in Uttar Pradesh. (For Representation)

Those aware of the development said the campaign titled ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Mandal, Jai Bhim and Jai Samvidhan’ though began on January 16, it has so far covered 18 districts and the party proposes to cover more districts in coming weeks.

“Yes, we have covered 18 districts so far. This includes the Hardoi convention held on Saturday. We are stepping up campaign and hold more conventions to cover a maximum number of districts by March 31,” said Uttar Pradesh Congress Backward Classes wing chairman Manoj Yadav.

“All India Congress Committee general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has asked the party’s backward classes wing to hold the conventions across the state,” he added.

The party is also targeting to woo the minorities. Much significance is being attached to the Congress’s moves to woo OBCs, Dalits and minorities that are considered to be the vote banks of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party in recent years.

The Congress and the SP though contested 2024 Lok Sabha elections as partners of the INDIA bloc, the grand old party did not contest any of the bypolls held for 10 UP assembly seats in recent months.

As the SP refused to leave the desired number of seats for the Congress in the bypolls, the grand old party is undertaking the exercise to strengthen its support base to be in a better bargaining position.