Lucknow, Jan 12 (PTI) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will continue to feature prominently in all Congress campaigns in Uttar Pradesh but she is a national leader and not confined to the state alone, UPCC chief Ajai Rai said on Monday after it chose her birthday to roll out a 100-day political campaign to take on the ruling BJP.
The state Congress chief was responding to speculation that the launch of the campaign on Priyanka Gandhi’s birthday signalled her return to a central role in UP politics ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Rai told PTI that both Uttar Pradesh and Priyanka Gandhi, currently a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala, are important in the party’s scheme of things.
“Priyanka Gandhi is a national leader, not confined to UP alone. But at the same time, she will continue to feature prominently in all party campaigns in UP,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi was appointed Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh in 2019 and led several high-profile campaigns, including the ‘Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon’ initiative and the decision to allocate 40 per cent of tickets to women in the 2022 Assembly elections.
However, the party’s electoral performance continued to decline, with Congress winning just two seats in the UP Assembly polls.
Following that setback, Priyanka Gandhi largely stayed away from active politics in the state. The party, however, showed a revival in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh when it contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party and won six seats, fuelling speculation about her possible return to a prominent organisational role in the state.
The Congress’s decision to announce its 100-day Uttar Pradesh action plan on Priyanka Gandhi’s birthday added to the buzz. Rai, however, said a popular leader like her cannot be restricted to one state, and declined to confirm whether she would address the nearly 30 rallies planned across UP under the programme.
He said the first rally under the campaign would be held in Sitapur on January 24, and the programme would culminate with a grand rally at the Ramabai Ambedkar Ground in Lucknow after about 30 rallies across the state.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra announced the party’s 100-day action plan at a press conference at the state Congress headquarters in Lucknow on the occasion of Priyanka Gandhi’s birthday.
Addressing the media, Mishra accused the BJP government of attempting to undermine democratic processes through measures such as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged efforts to dilute the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
She said the Congress was committed to countering what she described as the BJP’s “anti-democratic designs”.
Outlining the programme, Mishra said the party would organise over 30 ‘Samvidhan Samvad Mahapanchayats’ across the state over the next 100 days to highlight the alleged failures of the Yogi Adityanath government and defend constitutional values, beginning from Sitapur on January 24.
She said the Congress would also launch a ‘MNREGA Bachao Sangram’ to protect the employment guarantee scheme, monitor the SIR process through dedicated committees, prepare to contest the 2026 panchayat elections independently, and organise year-long programmes to mark 140 years of the party’s service and sacrifice.
The plan also includes preparations for the 2026 MLC elections, organisational strengthening down to the booth level, and a mega rally in Lucknow after the statewide outreach concludes.
The press conference on Monday concluded with Congress leaders and workers celebrating Priyanka Gandhi’s birthday by cutting a cake at the party headquarters.
Similar programmes were held at the party’s key locations and offices across the state to mark Priyanka’s birthday. PTI KIS MAN RT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.