By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: The confrontation at the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters in Lucknow on Sunday October 11 should be read as more than a clash between party workers. Outgoing UPCC president Ajai Rai is not happy the manner in which he was removed from the post he held since 2023. He led the party in 2024 Lok Sabha polls when party improve the tally and won six MPs.
More so Ajai Rai is the main challenger against PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi. During 2024 Lok Sabha Ajai Rai reduced the margin of the victory of PM Narendra Modi.
Unless Ajai Rai is properly rehabilitated and given important position at the central organisation it would be very difficult for party to function properly. Ajai Rai represents bhumihar brahmin community which plays important role in Central and eastern UP due to its presence in several Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies. This community has good presence in Bihar and other states.
It is an early warning of the organisational and leadership challenges facing Congress before the 2027 Assembly elections.
The incident occurred during the formal takeover by new UPCC president Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, when supporters of outgoing president Ajay Rai clashed with another group associated with party councillor Mamta Chaudhary.
There were reports of pushing, abuses and shoes being thrown. Senior leaders, including Pramod Tiwari and Imran Masood, intervened.
Ajay Rai’s supporters are asserting their place in the party and the organisation. Rai’s supporters may see the leadership change as a loss of influence and are unwilling to become politically marginal. The confrontation suggests that the outgoing president’s transition has not been entirely smooth. However, it does not establish that Rai himself organised or encouraged the clash.
Aradhana Mishra’s authority faces an early test as the new president she must establish that she is the leader of the entire UPCC, not merely of one group. Her immediate challenge is to accommodate existing leaders while building her own organisation. The fact that the ceremony was disrupted is an unfortunate beginning to her tenure.
Congress has paired Mishra with working president Imran Masood and also appointed leaders associated with Nishad and Dalit communities. This reflects an attempt to widen the party’s social base ahead of 2027. But representation in the leadership is not enough if workers continue to fight over status and access.
The Samajwadi Party alliance could become more complicated Congress factions continue to fight openly. Can the new UPCC leadership resolve internal differences and negotiate seat-sharing without public acrimony?
Under these circumstances, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka will have to play major role to sit with senior leaders and tell them to project unity in the party and the organisation to face 2027 assembly polls. (IPA Service)
