Congress is stepping up efforts to rebuild its political base in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, combining a renewed focus on caste representation with an aggressive outreach to smaller Opposition parties.
The party’s latest organisational appointments indicate an attempt to revive a social combination that once formed an important part of its electoral strength in the state. Mona Mishra, a Brahmin leader and Congress MLA, has been appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief, while Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood has been made working president.
Rajendra Pal Gautam, a Dalit leader and former Delhi minister, is the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge. The combination of Brahmin, Muslim and Dalit leaders reflects the party’s effort to expand its appeal across major social groups.
Mishra, the daughter of Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Pramod Tiwari, brings an established political family into the state leadership structure. Masood, who represents Saharanpur in the Lok Sabha, comes from a prominent political family and is the nephew of former Samajwadi Party leader Rasheed Masood.
Smaller parties turn towards Congress
At the same time, the Congress is holding discussions with smaller political outfits as negotiations with the Samajwadi Party over seat-sharing gather importance.
Several leaders who have previously been associated with the SP-led political space have recently met Rahul Gandhi. These include Apni Janta Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya, Sanjay Chauhan, who represents the OBC Chauhan community, and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pankaj Niranjan.
The outreach comes after Gautam publicly called for equal respect and a substantial share of seats for the Congress in any alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
With some smaller parties finding themselves at a distance from Akhilesh Yadav, the Congress is attempting to position itself as an alternative platform for leaders with influence among specific caste and regional groups.
BJP-style alliance building
The Congress’s approach also resembles the BJP’s pre-2017 strategy in Uttar Pradesh, when the party built alliances with smaller outfits and cultivated influential caste leaders to broaden its electoral reach.
The Congress is now looking at leaders who can bring organisational networks and local support, particularly as Akhilesh Yadav has emphasised the need for candidates with genuine electoral strength.
Maurya is seeking approximately a dozen Assembly seats and has expressed a preference for contesting under his own party symbol. The Congress, however, wants such candidates to fight the election on the Congress symbol.
Congress wants seat-sharing settled early
The party is also pushing for an early agreement with the Samajwadi Party. Gautam has said the Congress is preparing for all 403 Assembly constituencies and wants seat-sharing negotiations concluded in October.
While the Congress is seeking an equal share, Gautam has indicated that the party is willing to compromise to keep the broader alliance intact.