2024 LS polls: Cong to gear up cadre, meeting of party’s 2022 U.P. polls nominees on July 4

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has not been able to visit the state for long. Senior party leaders say she has been busy gearing up the party organisation in other states going to poll later in 2023

When Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) holds a meeting of its 2022 UP assembly election candidates on Tuesday, it is going to be yet another such session of partymen without physical presence of Congress general secretary (incharge Uttar Pradesh) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the UPCC headquarters here.

UPCC president Brijlal Khabri has not been able to make a difference and the situation appears to have gone from bad to worse. (For Representation)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has not been able to visit the state for long. Senior party leaders say she has been busy gearing up the party organisation in other states going to poll later in 2023, Priyanka though spoke to party leaders at a videoconference at the time of elections to urban local bodies, they say.

Her schedule of meetings and campaigning in other states, however, has sparked speculations about the party considering assigning her a new role. “An organisational reshuffle is due to take place at the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) in coming weeks. AICC general secretary (incharge UP) is also considered an important assignment. AICC may, however, assign her bigger responsibility or elevate her keeping in view the party’s overall interests,” said a senior party leader while reacting to reports that the party may consider shifting her from UP.

Will the Congress leadership go for a change at the state leadership level too? Unauthorised appointment of two working presidents that UPCC president Brijlal Khabri made in Jhansi and Jaunpur districts and the AICC decision to cancel those appointments have led to speculations about a change in the state party leadership too ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal had cancelled the appointments with immediate effect vide a letter dated May 29, 2023.

Khabri had rushed to New Delhi to meet the party high command and explain his point on the issue. Those aware of the development said the party high command has taken the issue seriously. Various options, including continuation of Khabri as UPCC president or replace him with another leader ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, are being considered.

A decision may be taken only after the AICC takes a call about the organisational reshuffle before the Lok Sabha polls. Khabri was appointed UPCC president replacing Ajay Kumar Lallu on October 1, 2022, following the party’s debacle in 2022 UP assembly elections. The Congress was able to win only two assembly seats in the 2022 UP assembly polls.

Khabri, who came to Congress from the BSP, has not been able to make a difference and the situation appears to have gone from bad to worse. The Congress’s performance dipped in the urban local body elections and the party’s candidates lost all 17 mayoral seats in the polls held in May 2023.

Some Congress leaders, however, point towards the Congress’s poll percentage in 2023 civic elections vis-a-vis the 2022 assembly elections. The Congress got 4.90 percent of the votes in the civic polls against 2.36 percent votes it got in 2022 assembly elections.

“Khabri hardly has any communication with the partymen. UPCC has failed to launch any major campaign to rebuild the Congress during the tenure of Khabri,” said a party functionary. Others defending Khabri point out that the UPCC president was yet to be given a team to work and gear up the organisation. Khabri said he was hopeful of getting clearance for a team soon.