Why Congress is upbeat about Rahul Gandhi’s two-day visit to Amethi, Rae Bareli
Many leaders feel that it would signal the start of the party’s “Mission UP” campaign for next year’s Assembly polls and that the LoP’s message could shape its election strategy
LoP Rahul Gandhi is set to begin a two-day tour of Amethi and Rae Bareli to kickstart Congress's grassroots preparations for the 2027 UP Assembly polls. (ANI File) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming two-day visit to his family strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli is being viewed by the Congress as the party’s beginning of its groundwork for next year’s Assembly elections.
Within the Congress, the visit is being seen as politically significant, with leaders saying the message Gandhi delivers from the family bastions could help shape the party’s strategy ahead of the polls.
During his visit on May 19 and 20, the Rae Bareli MP is scheduled to inaugurate development projects, address public meetings, interact with women and party workers, and hold Janata Darbars. Party leaders say the outreach is aimed at laying the foundation for the Congress’ “Mission UP” campaign ahead of the Assembly elections.
The visit comes against the backdrop of the Congress’ prolonged decline in Uttar Pradesh followed by a bright spot in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party was reduced to just one seat in the state — Rae Bareli, then represented by Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi — while it lost Amethi. The 2022 Assembly elections, which the party contested solo, proved even more damaging, with the Congress winning only two of the state’s 403 seats.
The decline was particularly stark in the Gandhi family bastions. Despite Rae Bareli and Amethi being associated with the Gandhis for decades, the Congress failed to win a single Assembly segment across the two parliamentary constituencies in 2022. Of the 10 Assembly seats under the two Lok Sabha constituencies, the BJP won five, the Samajwadi Party (SP) secured four, and one went to an Independent.
However, the political mood shifted after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Contesting in alliance with the SP under the INDIA bloc banner, the Congress won six Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Rae Bareli and Amethi.
For many Congress workers, the result signalled that the party could still retain electoral relevance in Uttar Pradesh through alliance politics and focused regional rebuilding. Party leaders believe that reviving the organisation in Rae Bareli and Amethi is central to any broader revival strategy in the state.
Party too gets ball rolling
As a part of its Uttar Pradesh strategy, the Congress has begun identifying seats it plans to contest and has directed All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries to submit lists of probable candidates for constituencies the party is likely to seek during seat-sharing talks with ally SP.
The Congress leadership is particularly wary of complications in negotiations after what it views as a “costly experience” in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, where delayed seat-sharing talks and “friendly fights” among INDIA bloc allies cost it the elections.
The party has also internally classified Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly constituencies into three categories: high potential, marginal and weak. “So far, we have identified more than 100 seats in the first category, around 200 in the second, and about 120 in the third,” a senior Congress leader said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders said Gandhi’s visit is aimed at strengthening direct engagement with voters and reviving inactive local units through programmes such as Mahila Samvaad events, Janata Darbars and meetings with party workers.
The visit is also expected to carry a social justice message. Sources said Gandhi is scheduled to unveil a statue of freedom fighter Veera Pasi, a move being interpreted as part of the Congress’ outreach to Dalit and backward caste communities.
In recent years, Gandhi has increasingly foregrounded issues such as caste census, representation and social justice — themes the party is expected to sharpen further in the state ahead of the Assembly elections.
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