New Delhi/Lucknow: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s new team in Uttar Pradesh, constituted Monday, has Rahul Gandhi’s stamp all over it. The Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh has leaned on her brother’s old protégés, including social activists, dynasts and Youth Congress leaders, to revive the party in the country’s electorally-largest state.
Priyanka has chosen to relegate prominent UP leaders such as Pramod Tiwari, P.L. Punia, Jitin Prasada, R.P.N. Singh, Salman Khurshid and Mohsina Kidwai, among others, to advisory and strategic committees. Rebel MLA Aditi Singh didn’t figure in the list either.
Instead, two-time Kushinagar MLA Ajay Kumar Lallu, handpicked by Rahul to choose candidates for the Gujarat assembly elections in 2017, took over as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief with a 41-member-team. Nine-time MLA Pramod Tiwari’s daughter Aradhana Mishra will replace Lallu as the Congress Legislative Party leader.
The party has only seven MLAs in the 403-member UP assembly, and was reduced to one seat in the Lok Sabha election — Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli — when Rahul lost Amethi to the BJP’s Smriti Irani.
Lukewarm response
Lallu’s new team comprises four vice-presidents, 12 general secretaries and 24 secretaries, meaning the unit has been considerably slashed from its previous strength of 500. Most of the new leaders are under 45 years of age.
OBC leaders account for 45 per cent of the new team, while 20 per cent are Dalits, 15 per cent Muslims and the rest are upper castes. This caste combination is being seen as the Congress’ push to consolidate the minority vote in UP.
From defectors to obscure local leaders in UP politics, the new team members have been picked for their “grassroots connect” and also their caste affiliations, said a Congress functionary. Sources said all kinds of social and regional equations were considered before finalising the members.
However, many party leaders seemed lukewarm to the idea. “This is completely Rahul Gandhi’s team that has transitioned into Priyanka’s,” one functionary told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
“But why should that be a problem? Sanjay Gandhi’s team transitioned into Rajiv Gandhi’s as well,” said a second Congress functionary.
A senior Congress leader added: “The entire team has been chosen by Sandeep Singh (Rahul Gandhi’s close aide). By the time they establish themselves, the elections will be behind us.”
Also read: Congress finds its UP chief in two-time MLA who was once a construction worker
The president
Newly-appointed president Lallu belongs to the Vaishya (OBC) community. An effort has been made to accommodate Brahmins by making Aradhana Mishra the CLP leader in his place.
Lallu contested as an Independent MLA in the 2007 UP elections, and was brought to the Congress by former union minister R.P.N. Singh. A former NGO worker, Lallu was spotted by Rahul and rose quickly through the ranks. He was a part of the screening committee ahead of the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections.
“Lallu is a streetfighter. His focus is on the ground and not in power-trading aisles of Delhi,” a UP Congress leader said.
The lieutenants
Lallu’s lieutenants seem like a motley crew. The man in charge of the party organisation in eastern UP is Virendra Chaudhary, who joined the Congress five years ago. This is the first time he has been given state-level responsibilities.
Chaudhary’s counterpart in western UP is the former Shamli MLA Pankaj Malik, the son of senior UP Congress leader Harendra Malik.
Malik senior had been associated with the Indian National Lok Dal before joining the Congress, but Pankaj is a Youth Congress product who has held state-level office for the party.
“When Rahul Gandhi visited UP for one of his maiden rallies in 2007, Harendra Malik gave him the loudest welcome,” the second Congress functionary said. “That’s when Pankaj caught Rahul’s eye.”
Laliteshpati Tripathi, whose great-grandfather was former UP CM Kamalapati Tripathi, has been named the vice-president in-charge of the Pradesh Youth Congress, NSUI, Mahila Congress, OBC Congress and Kisan Congress.
Deepak Kumar, now in-charge of the Seva Dal, SC/ST and minority departments, has been appointed to consolidate the Kurmi vote. He was earlier appointed by Priyanka as an MLC.
New general secretaries Alok Prasad Pasi and Vishwa Vijay Singh are close confidants of Lallu, a UP Congress leader told ThePrint. Pasi, a former civil servant, has been a Youth Congress leader and a district-level president, while Vijay Singh was picked by Lallu as one of the persons in-charge of the Hamirpur by-election held last month.
Rakesh Sachan, who defected to the Congress from the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, is also considered a close confidant of Lallu. Yusuf Ali Turk, on the other hand, switched over from the BSP.
Yogesh Dixit and Rahul Rai are respectively former Youth Congress and NSUI leaders. Dixit was a Youth Congress national secretary and Rai the NSUI UP state president. Congress national spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi has also been appointed as general secretary.
Little-known in Priyanka’s new team are local Hamirpur leaders Chaudhary Dharam Lodhi, Allahabad University student activist Anil Yadav, former zonal coordinator for the 2014 general elections Virender Singh Guddu, Agra Mahila Congress leader Shabana Khandelwal, and Badaruddin Qureshi. Even state leaders drew a blank at the mention of their names.
“Shabana is part of the Mahila Congress from Agra, that’s all I know,” said a UP Congress leader.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi has taken a backseat, but his team is running Congress show
- The copy has been updated to correct the designations of the vice-presidents of the UPCC.
Congrats Priyankaji. This shows priyankajis shrewdness and natural charisma she has inherited from Indiraji. She claimed s not a ahimsawadi like matron Soniaji or for that matter Rahulji. Priyankaji is a Baazigar which she proved in Loksabha elections. Her aim was always assembly elections and 2029 elections. Modi and his gang was not aware of this plan and has been gloating from tree tops…
Congress party’s active hinduphobia is clear. They are using a blatantly anti- Hindu book in educating their cadre. This party’s DNA seems to be programmed against Hindus. I hope the just emerging Hindu awakening will bury this party permanently.