Two days after the BJP secured a resounding victory in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the newly formed Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee held its first meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday amid conflicting views on taking forward the Opposition parties' INDIA alliance in the state. While many office-bearers expressed their views in favour of the INDIA coalition in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections albeit in “respectful terms” when it comes to seat-sharing, some suggested the party should go alone given the fact that it was a parliamentary and not a state poll. Meanwhile, to make its presence felt on the ground, the party decided to organise “Parivartan Yatras” (processions of change) across the state with the first starting from the Shakambari Mata Temple in Saharanpur and concluding at Naimisharan in Sitapur district, another prominent pilgrimage site. “The divided opinion on the alliance was divided. Many office-bearers, especially the young faces, were of the view that the party should go with the alliance to defeat the BJP but the seat-sharing should be respectful considering it is a Lok Sabha election. On the other hand, some favoured going alone claiming that the party benefited in 2009 while going alone despite being offered an alliance by then Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh,” said a party functionary who attended the meeting. Another office-bearer said some of the party leaders, especially those from western Uttar Pradesh, strongly advocated an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). “Some also advocated going with the BSP. These leaders are of the opinion that the party will benefit particularly in west UP if the BSP becomes a part of the Opposition alliance. But then it was decided that such things should be left for the party high command to decide and our focus should be to make our presence felt on the ground,” he added. Since nearly 60 per cent of the functionaries were first-timers in the state committee, the meeting also acted as a platform for an introduction with the district-level panels. It was also decided during the meeting that district-level responsibilities will be allotted soon. The leaders stressed the need for the party to become visible on the ground — both in rural and urban areas — ahead of the Lok Sabha elections irrespective of the future alliances. During the meeting, party state president Ajay Rai told those present that just five months are left for the Lok Sabha polls and there was a need for everyone to become active on a war footing at the grassroots level. “The state president asked the party leaders not to be disappointed with the recent results of the Assembly elections in some states and rather shift their focus to the Lok Sabha election by taking it as a challenge,” an office-bearer said. The “Parivartan Yatra” in its first phase will travel through western Uttar Pradesh districts having minority-dominated populations, including Saharanpur, Moradabad, Amroha, Bareilly, Rampur and then the Terai belt from Lakhimpur Kheri before concluding at Naimisharan in Sitapur, party sources said. The yatras will have slogans of “Panv-Panv, Gaon-Gaon” for villages, and “Dagar-Dagar, Nagar-Nagar” for cities and are likely to kickstart from the third week of December. “Some opinions were floated but then it was decided that the decisions on seat-sharing and alliance should be left to the party leadership. We will focus on the roadmap to strengthen the party in the state, including starting the first phase of the “Parivartan Yatras” from the Shakambari Mata temple in Saharanpur,” Ajay Rai told The Indian Express. “We will raise the issue of unemployment, law and order, sugarcane farmers. We will also distribute pamphlets exposing the misdeeds of the BJP governments at the Centre as well as the state,” he added. “INDIA bloc majbuti se age badhega. Hum pure pradesh aur desh mein age badhenge (The INDIA bloc will move ahead with strength. We will move ahead in the state as well as the country),” said Rai, who earlier targeted the Samajwadi Party for the failure of the INDIA alliance in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls.
