Congress to replace inactive UP district, city chiefs ahead of 2027 polls

The Congress will replace inactive and non-performing district and city presidents in Uttar Pradesh as it prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections, state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Friday, according to news agency Press Trust of India.

At a workshop for party functionaries, Gautam said office-bearers appointed through the Congress' 'Sangathan Srijan' initiative would continue in their posts, while those who were inactive or not performing would be changed.

“You must first develop a strong determination to win. Those who have made up their minds to win cannot be defeated,” Gautam said, according to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh Congress and cited by PTI. He also urged party workers to draw inspiration from the Congress' history.

State Congress president Aradhana Misra 'Mona', who chaired the workshop, said the Congress and the INDIA bloc would fight the 2027 Assembly elections together.

“The 2027 mission begins today. You are all warriors of the Congress. We will fight and win,” she said.

Misra identified four areas on which the party needed to focus: media, social media, the war room and the legal department.

Referring to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, she said the campaign led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had received support across the country. She said the party needed to inform people about the impact of its leaders' efforts.

Misra said party workers were responsible for protecting voters' rights and ensuring that they reached polling booths. She asked them to strengthen the Congress and the INDIA bloc in their districts and prepare to contest elections and help other candidates.

Uttar Pradesh Congress working president and MP Imran Masood said Gandhi was leading the political fight against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“An election is fought on a narrative. The BJP did whatever it could, but Rahul Gandhi fought for the country and neither bowed nor got scared. We have to build this narrative,” Masood said.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and All India Congress Committee media department chairman Pawan Khera said Uttar Pradesh had been associated with several prominent leaders, including Govind Ballabh Pant and Sheila Dikshit. He told party workers that it was now time for the BJP, rather than the Congress, to answer questions.

The workshop, attended by district and city presidents and heads of the party's organisations, departments and cells, marked the beginning of the Congress' preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with a focus on organisational performance, voter outreach and coordination with the INDIA bloc.- Ends