Gen Z outreach, organisational revamp, early SP seat deal: Congress's UP poll plan
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls approaching, the Congress is working on a three-pronged strategy to rebuild its political footprint in the state
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls approaching, the Congress is working on a three-pronged strategy to rebuild its political footprint in the state – expand its appeal among young voters, strengthen its own organisation and finalise its alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP). The strategy is being shaped at a time when the Congress sees Uttar Pradesh as crucial not just for the state polls but also for its larger revival in north India ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Read Full Story WHY PRAYAGRAJ AND YOUTH MATTER TO CONGRESS Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi recently addressed the party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Prayagraj, a city with a strong historical connection to the Gandhi family. The choice of Prayagraj is significant for the Congress. Anand Bhawan, the former residence of Jawaharlal Nehru and a major part of the family's association with the freedom movement, is located in the city. It later became a Congress office before being donated to the government by Indira Gandhi in 1970. Congress leaders believe Rahul Gandhi's increasingly visible interventions on student issues, both inside Parliament and on the streets, could help the party connect with a younger generation ahead of the 2027 polls. Party feedback from recent student protests has also indicated that a sizeable number of young people from Uttar Pradesh participated in the 49-day Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi.
Congress leaders see this as an opportunity to build a constituency among Gen Z and young voters in a state where the party has struggled to maintain a strong independent base. The strategy, however, is not limited to Rahul Gandhi's student outreach. The party is looking to convert this visibility into a more sustained organisational presence on the ground. CONGRESS WANTS SP ALLIANCE LOCKED IN EARLY The second major priority is to prevent uncertainty over the Congress-SP alliance from spilling into the election campaign. At a meeting of Uttar Pradesh Congress MPs chaired by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi at 10, Janpath on Tuesday, party leaders pushed for an early start to seat-sharing discussions with the SP. The meeting was attended by all six Congress Lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, along with Rajya Sabha MPs Imran Pratapgarhi, Pramod Tiwari and Rajiv Shukla. One of the MPs who attended the meeting told India Today TV that the coordination mechanism between the two parties should be announced soon after Parliament's monsoon session ends on August 13. "By August 20, a coordination committee should be announced between SP and Congress so that seat-sharing talks can conclude in time," the MP said. The urgency stems from growing concern within Congress that prolonged negotiations could create confusion and bitterness between the allies.
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