The Indian National Congress has begun preparing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, setting the tone early with key organisational decisions. Days ago, under the leadership of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and in the presence of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the party resolved to contest the 2026 panchayat elections on its own.
A follow-up meeting was held on Thursday, 11 December, attended by Wayanad MP and national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai and state in-charge Avinash Pandey.
Priyanka May Once Again Lead Campaign
The meeting has fuelled speculation that Priyanka Gandhi may return to lead the party’s 2027 campaign. She stepped down as UP in-charge after the Congress’ poor performance in the 2022 Assembly polls.
On social media platform X, the party’s official account shared four photos from the meeting, stating that general secretaries KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reviewed the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s preparations and discussed upcoming strategies. Avinash Pandey, Ajay Rai and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Misra “Mona”, along with senior state leaders, were present.
Insiders say discussions are centred on the criteria for selecting candidates for the upcoming panchayat elections. The party plans to use the polls as a filter; those who perform strongly may be considered for Assembly tickets in 2027.
In 2022, Congress contested all seats in Uttar Pradesh without any alliance, placing its hopes on Priyanka Gandhi’s leadership. The party, however, recorded its worst-ever result, winning only two seats.
For 2027, the equation is clearer: the Congress is set to contest under the INDIA alliance banner alongside the Samajwadi Party (SP). SP chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav recently reaffirmed that his party will fight the next state election in partnership with the Congress.
Despite this, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai has repeatedly said the party is preparing for all 403 Assembly seats. According to observers, this approach is aimed at strengthening the Congress’ hand in seat-sharing negotiations with the SP.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rai had similarly claimed preparations for all 80 seats before the SP-Congress deal ultimately settled on 62 and 17 seats respectively.
Sources suggest that if Priyanka Gandhi assumes a central role again in UP, seat-sharing talks with the SP are likely to proceed more smoothly.
Input By : Rahul Sankrityanan