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Ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly election, Priyanka tells Congress workers to work round the clock
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra assures party workers that the party organisation will play an important role in selection of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly election
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has asked party workers to work round the clock and assured them that the party organisation will play an important role in the selection of candidates for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly election.
Priyanka gave this assurance to the party workers at meetings with them at the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters in Lucknow over the past two days (Friday and Saturday). A large number of aspirants for Congress tickets have made a bid to meet her and put up their request for a ticket to leaders close to them.
Although the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) has approved a list of candidates for about 40 seats, the final decision on the issue has been left to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The Congress has asked ticket aspirants to submit their applications at the UPCC headquarters or with the party units in the districts from September 11 to 25. The party has decided to finalise party tickets well in advance this time and PEC is scheduled to meet on October 5.
“District Congress Committees and City Congress Committees have been asked to send recommendations about potential candidates for the remaining seats in a given format. PEC is scheduled to meet again on October 5, 2021 to discuss more recommendations,” said a senior leader.
Priyanka on Saturday held a separate meeting with all the eight UPCC vice- presidents. As most of these vice-presidents are likely to be fielded as candidates in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, the party is looking to make alternative arrangements. She also completed a review of the party’s organisation structure set-up at various levels in the remaining four of eight zones on Saturday. She had completed a review of four zones on Friday.
The Congress general secretary pointed out to some office bearers of districts the need for an improvement, though she appeared satisfied with the work of a large number of district and city party units.
“Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got feedback from office bearers about the functioning of party’s 831 blocks, 2614 wards and 8134 nyay panchayats in the past two days. She pointed out to some office bearers that the party has not received good reports about them. She has asked the partymen to work round the clock, bring about improvement and reach out to people with policies and programmes,” said another party leader.
Priyanka is scheduled to leave for Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha seat of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, after winding up her Lucknow tour on Sunday. She is scheduled to review preparations for the 2022 assembly election there. Besides interacting with the office bearers of the district and city party units, she is set to meet party chiefs of blocks, nyay panchayats and wards. She will have another round of interactions with former legislators and party candidates who contested the 2017 assembly election. She may also visit Amethi though a programme in this connection is yet to be worked out.
“It’s good to know that the Congress is launching a good campaign and plans statewide yatras to reach out to the people. The party should go to the people with a positive approach. The Congress should have started such campaigns right from the time when the BJP came to power in 2017. Such campaigns should be a regular feature and not launched only at the time of elections,” said professor SK Dwivedi, former head of the department of political science, Lucknow University.
Congress may appoint four working presidents in Uttar Pradesh
The Congress is contemplating a move to appoint four working presidents to oversee the party organisation ahead of the 2022 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.
Although senior Congress leaders refuse to confirm any such move, those aware of the development said the party may appoint the working presidents to oversee the organisation during the election as senior leaders, including UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, and some vice-presidents would contest the polls.
According to a party leader, Priyanka said at a meeting late on Saturday evening that the party would like to have “jitau (winnable)” and “tikau (stable)” candidates who can lead the party for the next 20 years.
