Uttar Pradesh: Congress looking out for a brahmin face to steer the occasion

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Congress is looking out for a Brahmin face to steer the Uttar Pradesh Congress following a rout in latest meeting elections preserving in thoughts the anti-Brahmin picture of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

During a number of conferences held beneath the management of common secretary in cost Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to debate revamping of the state unit, senior occasion leaders have expressed that getting a Brahmin (who represent 14 p.c of the inhabitants in UP) face, would assist the occasion.

“Congress had a grip over Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh some three decades back. It used to be the first choice of Brahmins but over the years several of the party’s Brahmin faces switched to BJP and the entire community now stands with the BJP. Adityanath, a Thakur, has been seen as anti-Brahmin, and having a Brahmin face as state chief would send a positive signal among brahmin samaj,” mentioned a senior UP Congress chief, who has been a part of the latest conferences.   

Another UP Congress chief mentioned that the discussions are round having a Brahmin face as state chief and 4 working presidents from different outstanding castes to steadiness the caste equation within the state. Sources mentioned {that a} resolution on UP Congress is anticipated after the occasion’s Chintan Shivir in mid-May.

Some of the occasion’s younger Brahmin faces – Jitin Prasada and Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, had give up the occasion within the final yr and too despatched a unsuitable message simply earlier than the UP meeting elections. Former UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi had additionally joined the BJP  in 2016. 

The outstanding Brahmin faces now left within the occasion are former Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari, his daughter and sitting MLA Aradhana Misra, and former Varanasi MP, Rajesh Mishra amongst few others.  

Of the 5 states the place elections had been held lately, Congress has already introduced organizational revamp in 4 states – Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur however UP.

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After the occasion’s debacle, former union minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh was assigned the duty to evaluation the explanations for the defeat of Congress within the UP. “He is still holding meetings with state leaders and party workers and is yet to finalise his review. Any decision is expected only after that,” the sources added.

Names of former bureaucrat PL Punia, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste neighborhood and headed the occasion’s UP ballot marketing campaign committee, former MP Pramod Tiwari, former Ayodhya MP, and former state chief Nirmal Khatri and, former Varanasi MP Rajesh Mishra are doing rounds for the highest job. It has been vacant after Ajay Kumar Lallu resigned from the put up following the occasion’s debacle within the UP elections.

“This time we are looking to have a president who is only focused on organizational work. Lallu, worked for the party, but during elections, he was grounded to his constituency (Tamkuhi Raj) and there was none to look after the entire state,” mentioned a UP Congress functionary.