With Eye on 2022 UP Polls, Congress Strengthens Party at Booth Level for Panchayat Elections

The Uttar Pradesh Congress is gearing up to contest the Panchayat Polls in the state with an eye on the 2022 state assembly polls. The grand old party and its leaders have been busy strengthening their organization at rural level with several Kisan Panchayats and local outreach programmes. A key meeting was held recently at the party headquarters in Lucknow for preparations for the Panchayat elections. The grand old party is also organizing training camps for its cadres in order to prepare them for the upcoming polls in the state.

Senior Congress leaders including Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu, PL Punia, Pramod Tiwari and others have been busy participating in such meetings to chalk out a strategy firstly for the local Polls and then to carry out the momentum till the state assembly polls next year.

Congress had won seven seats in the last assembly elections in 2017. However, the tally over the period has gone down to five with two of its MLAs from Raebareli (Harchandpur) Rakesh Singh and (Sadar) Aditi Singh already showing signs of rebel. The party had given an application to the speaker to disqualify both the MLAs but the Speaker had ruled in favour of the MLAs.

UP Congress Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu claimed that the party organization has been formed in the district as well as at the block and Nyaya Panchayat level, under the creation of the Congress Organization Creation Campaign, which has been running for the past several days in UP. A strategy was also formulated based on the feedback that was taken from Congress leaders and workers. The Congress will be fighting the panchayat elections on the issues of farmers, youth of UP along with local issues like roads, electricity and water.

strategy for Assembly Elections

“The groundwork for elections is almost in the final phase, the organization has been strengthened right at the booth level. At the moment training camps are underway for the party workers on how to take the wrong policies of the BJP to the people,” UP Congress Spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said.

“Our UP Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu has been holding meetings with all those who want to contest elections in Panchayat Polls. The Congress party will be contesting the Panchayat and the UP Assembly elections next year will its full might,” he added.

Will the party revive Congress Sewa Dal?

On the question of Congress Sewa Dal being revitalized once again, Anshu Awasthi said, “Sewa Dal has been a key frontal organization of the party and just Sewa Dal but other frontal organisations also have been giving their helping hand in strengthening the party in the state. There has been a special focus of Priyanka Ji on reviving the Congress Sewa Dal as the organization used to be quite popular among people once and today we need it.”

The upcoming assembly elections remain crucial for the party in multiple ways. “The 2022 UP state assembly elections are very important for the party and that is why our party will try to carry over the momentum of Panchayat Polls to the 2022 assembly polls. People are angry and upset with the BJP regime. Issues like inflation, unemployment and corruption are rampant in the society today, which is why BJP rolled back its decision to contest Panchayat polls on its symbol. The people of UP has tried SP, BSP and BJP in last few years and now people want a government which doesn’t spread communal hatred in the society,” stated Anshu Awasthi

Congress to go solo in 2022

Making it clear that the Congress will go solo in 2022 state assembly polls, Awasthi said, “Congress will go solo in 2022 state assembly polls. People get upset whenever we go in alliance with any party as we are a national party. Now people want that Congress should go solo and hence we will be going solo in 2022.”

The party spokesperson said that the workers are not affected by what is happening at the top as the state unit works under the UP Chief and thereon. “Other parties are making it an issue unnecessarily as they want to project that there is instability in Congress. However, people are not bothered about it. Our policies are clear and there is no comparison about it with anyone,” Awasthi added.

Will Priyanka Gandhi be the CM face?

Congress state spokesperson said, “Personally I want her to become the CM face in UP for 2022 state assembly polls, but the final decision in this regard will be taken by the CWC. There is a feedback from ground that Priyanka Ji should be declared as the CM face for 2022 UP elections.” He added that people want a young and honest leadership in the state in 2022. “Even UPCC Chief Ajay Kumar Lallu has expressed his will that Priyanka Ji should be the CM face in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Expert says that the success of a party is determined by its central leadership attributing the reason behind Congress’ loss and BJP’s gain. “Any party is strengthened because of its leadership, we attribute the success of a party to its top leadership. Today a major reason for any political party to be politically successful is the top leadership of that party, who actually strategize and motivate their people. Leaders of BJP have successfully built a narrative that their top leadership is always acting and working on ground for the party and their people,” Veteran Journalist and political analyst Ratan Mani Lal said.

“But in Congress, the party has failed to establish a narrative about their top leadership working hard for the people and the party. By the time the issues in Congress at the top aren’t settled, people inside the party are not clear for whom they are working for. The political directions of Priyanka and Rahul are so dissimilar that people who work for Congress are even confused about their loyalties,” added Lal.

He added that Rahul Gandhi’s focus has shifted to South India which is evident with his absence in UP.

“Rahul has known that now he has to focus on Wayanad and that is why he didn’t come to Amethi after losing elections. On the other hand, Priyanka is working on ground in the state to revive the party. Priyanka might have her own following and charm but that doesn’t symbolize raw power. The feminist symbols do not stand in front of symbols of raw power today in the country. There were symbols of feminism once like Indira Gandhi, Jayalalita, Mayawati and one of the last symbols of raw women power is Mamata Banerjee,” Ratan Mani Lal said.

“But in case of Priyanka, she didn’t struggle like others, she was not on the receiving end like other powerful women leaders have been. Priyanka is still relying on optics to create a space for her in politics. Unfortunately, these optics are not accepted anymore be it women or a man, they all know the one who will work hard will have his/her place,” Ratan Mani Lal added.