Eye on 2027 assembly polls, Congress presses refresh button in Uttar Pradesh
Those aware of the development said the Congress organisation in the state had failed to work as a cohesive unit.
The Congress’s decision to dissolve the state executive, district, city and block units is the first step needed to rebuild the party organisation from scratch to make it ready for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The move will ensure that the new organisation to be set up across the state not only has a a formidable structure, but also works as a cohesive unit with representation of people from all sections.
Those aware of the development said the Congress organisation in the state had failed to work as a cohesive unit, blending the experience of the old guard with the energy of the youth.
With an eye on the 2027 UP assembly elections, the Congress leadership decided to build the party’s structure afresh instead of making changes at different levels and places.
“Yes, we will rebuild the organisation. This will be done to ensure better coordination between the Congress’s old guard and the newcomers. Some of the Congress leaders were left out when a new team was formed earlier. We want to give more representation to women and hope to complete the process of revamping the party up to the grassroots level in the next three months,” Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai said.
“We had already begun the process of building the party for the 2027 Lok Sabha elections. We decided to go in for a total revamp instead of opting for patchwork. Those who have been working hard and performed in the past need not worry. We will build a strong organisation,” said All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (incharge UP) Avinash Pandey.
A resounding defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections led to rebuilding of the party organisation then. It, however, failed to deliver in the 2022 U.P. assembly election and was found problem-ridden even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A senior leader said the outgoing organisation structure was in place for nearly five years though certain changes though were made at various levels earlier. A major change was carried out at the state leadership level after the drubbing in the 2022 assembly polls. Nevertheless, the organisation structure remained poor in all the districts.
This became evident in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Though the party was able to improve its performance by winning six Lok Sabha seats against the lone Rae Bareli seat it secured in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, insiders felt it could have done better.
“Yes, we had some or the other issues everywhere. Some districts even did not have an energetic president while most districts lacked a strong organisational structure. The Congress, which fought 2024 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, could have performed even better with a stronger organisation base,” said another leader.
Meanwhile, in an order issued on Friday, Rai said the outgoing office bearers of UPCC, outgoing district, city and block presidents along with the office bearers of their respective committees, will continue to work on their posts till new appointments are made.
“We will build a new team on the model given by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. We are going to begin doing so early and complete the process soon,” said UPCC general secretary organisation Anil Yadav.
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