Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Nov 10: With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections approaching, Congress general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is once again emerging as a key figure in the party's preparations in the politically crucial state.
Although the Congress has not formally announced any additional responsibility for her, recent organisational developments and internal discussions suggest that she may play a central role in shaping the party's campaign, managing its alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and strengthening its grassroots organisation.
The renewed focus on Priyanka's role gathered momentum following her recent meeting with senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders in New Delhi, where she reviewed the party's preparations for the Assembly elections.
According to party sources, the meeting was attended by UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, state president Aradhana Mishra Mona, UPCC working president and Saharanpur MP Imran Masood, besides other senior office-bearers and observers.
The discussions reportedly centred on strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level, constituting key election-related committees and preparing the party machinery for the polls.
The Congress is in the process of setting up important panels, including screening, campaign and election management committees. Their names are expected to be submitted to the central leadership for approval before being formally announced. The exercise is being viewed as the first major organisational step towards election preparedness.
Party insiders say Priyanka has taken a keen interest in the process and is personally monitoring the organisational restructuring. There is also discussion within the party about setting up a dedicated coordination mechanism to manage its alliance with the Samajwadi Party, its principal partner in Uttar Pradesh.
A senior Congress leader in Lucknow said Priyanka could play a direct role in negotiations with SP president Akhilesh Yadav when formal seat-sharing discussions begin.
Congress leaders believe her involvement could help smooth negotiations and prevent differences between the alliance partners. UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said senior leaders of both parties would meet after Diwali to work out a seat-sharing arrangement aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2027 elections.
Priyanka's possible role in the negotiations is also backed by her previous experience in managing the Congress-SP alliance. During the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she was regarded as one of the key figures involved in discussions over seat-sharing between the two parties.
She had also played a crucial role in the negotiations ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, when the Congress secured an agreement to contest 105 seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
According to a senior Congress leader, Priyanka maintained direct communication with Akhilesh Yadav and other senior SP leaders when differences threatened to affect alliance negotiations. Her intervention helped preserve the alliance framework, the leader said.
For the Congress, the challenge in 2027 will be to secure a respectable share of seats despite being the junior partner in the alliance. While the Samajwadi Party remains the stronger political force in the state, Congress strategists believe Priyanka's involvement could strengthen the party's bargaining position.
The renewed focus on Uttar Pradesh also marks a return to a political landscape in which Priyanka has invested considerable energy over the years. Even before formally entering active politics, she was involved in campaigning in the Gandhi family's traditional constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi.
Her engagement in the state expanded beyond these constituencies, culminating in her appointment as Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East on January 23, 2019. Her entry generated considerable enthusiasm among party workers, with the Congress projecting her as a prominent campaigner capable of challenging the BJP's dominance in the Hindi heartland.
Priyanka's biggest electoral test in the state came during the 2022 Assembly elections, when she effectively led the Congress campaign. The party centred its campaign on the slogan 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' (I am a girl, I can fight), seeking to attract women voters and highlight women's political representation and empowerment.
She led rallies, roadshows and public interactions across several districts, emerging as the principal face of the party's campaign. However, despite the visibility and media attention, the Congress won only two seats and failed to make a significant improvement in its vote share.
Following the defeat, Priyanka stepped down from her specific responsibility as Uttar Pradesh in-charge as part of a wider organisational restructuring, though she continued as Congress general secretary.
Congress leaders privately acknowledge that the 2022 campaign offered important lessons. Socio-political scientist AP Verma said Priyanka succeeded in energising party workers and increasing the Congress's public visibility, but the organisation lacked the booth-level strength required to convert that momentum into votes.
Several analysts have also pointed out that the Congress faced structural challenges in a largely bipolar political contest dominated by the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. The party's current approach, therefore, appears to place greater emphasis on organisational rebuilding, alliance management and targeted campaigning rather than relying solely on high-profile rallies.
Although the Congress has not formally defined Priyanka's responsibilities in Uttar Pradesh, recent organisational meetings and internal consultations indicate that she is increasingly taking ownership of the party's strategy in the state.
Her involvement in committee formation, organisational reviews and possible alliance coordination could make her the principal face of the Congress's preparations on the ground ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.