News Brief
UP 2022: Congress Assembles 38- Member Team, Including Many Seniors; Tries To Balance Caste Equations
Swarajya Staff
Aug 13, 2021, 01:46 PM | Updated 01:45 PM IST
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The Congress, with the aim of reclaiming lost ground in Uttar Pradesh, seems geared up for the upcoming assembly elections. The UP Congress, on Wednesday announced its 38-member state election committee, which will be responsible for election preparation and the selection of candidates.
The list released by party General Secretary KC Venugopal has the name of UP Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu and nine former ministers in the central government including Salman Khurshid, Rajiv Shukla, Pramod Tiwari and RPN Singh. Former Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Alvi also features in the list. Interestingly, former state Congress President Raj Babbar has not found a place in the committee.
The names suggest that Congress has not only tried to ratify the regional and caste balance, but has also attempted to dispel the accusations of inexperience by prioritising experienced senior leaders.
There are seven Brahmins, three Thakurs, two Kayasthas and one Bhumihar in the state election committee. One member is from the Jain sect, two are from Bania community and two are Punjabi/Khatri. Apart from these, the committee also has eight members from backward classes, two from SC/ST and ten Muslim members.
It has been three decades since Congress last held power in Uttar Pradesh. It fared poorly in the last two big elections(2017 Assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha) in the state.
Last week, Congress launched a campaign against the ruling BJP in the state on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement on 9 August. The Congress is also planning to organise a state-level workers meet in September, as a show of strength. The party plans to set up 700 training camps for its workers to teach them about booth management, the history of the Congress, as well as the "truth" of the BJP and RSS.
Many are seeing this as the Congress' attempt to secure an alliance with the small parties. If the Congress succeeds in this, it will also increase pressure on the seemingly uninterested SP and BSP, to cede some space to the Congress in the anti-BJP faction.
It has happened after a long time that the Congress constituted a state election committee six months prior to the assembly elections. The result of these elections may well decide if the Congress splits before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, or stays firm behind the Gandhis as one unit.
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