LUCKNOW: Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' said her primary goal is to strengthen the INDIA bloc and form a coalition government in the state in the 2027 assembly elections.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, the 52-year-old Congress leader emphasised that "compromise" is innate to coalition politics and positive engagement between alliance partners is key.
"My primary goal is to form a coalition government in Uttar Pradesh in the 2027 elections by strengthening the INDIA bloc," she said.
Asked whether Congress would join the government if the alliance -- in which Samajwadi Party (SP) plays a leading role in Uttar Pradesh -- comes to power, she said, "There will be a coalition government, and the constituent parties will be part of it."
Mona hails from a family that has traditionally remained committed to Congress' ideology. She began her political career as a 'panch' (village council member). After graduating from college, she became chairperson of the cooperative union in Sangramgarh in 1999. She subsequently became a block development council member and served three terms as block 'pramukh' (chief). She was elected Congress MLA from the Rampur Khas constituency in Pratapgarh district in a 2014 byelection.
She retained the seat in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections. The Congress also appointed her leader of its legislature party twice. Her father Pramod Tiwari had represented Rampur Khas continuously from 1980 to 2014.
A nine-time MLA, former Uttar Pradesh minister and former Congress legislature party leader, he is currently Congress' deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha.
Her grandfather and great-grandfather, too, were active members of Congress.
Asked about possible differences with the SP over seat-sharing for the 2027 assembly elections, Mona said, "There is absolutely no tussle. There is no disharmony on this issue, and the leadership of both parties will arrive at an arrangement very soon."
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress contested in alliance with the SP in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 parliamentary seats. The SP won 37 seats and the Congress six, significantly reducing the BJP's tally in the state.
Asked whether the Congress would stake claim to only 85 assembly seats based on the formula of contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, Mona said, "It is not like the Congress does not exist beyond those seats. The party's support base has grown. Preparing a seat-sharing formula is up to the leadership. We will apprise the leadership of our actual position."
She further said the Congress and INDIA bloc partners have worked sincerely in the constituencies they contested in 2024, and are continuing to work towards their shared goal.
On the possibility of clashes with the SP over the seat-sharing arrangement, Mona said the INDIA bloc was formed in national interest, and not merely for Uttar Pradesh.
"In coalition politics, sometimes you have to compromise, and sometimes your ally must do the same. The leadership of both parties is engaging positively, and there is no obstacle in this regard," she said.
On the Congress's earlier electoral setbacks and its presence at grassroots level, Mona said the party began intensive organisational work amid Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's repeated visits to Uttar Pradesh since 2019.
"Although the results were not good in the 2022 assembly elections, the inertia at the grassroots was broken, people came out of their homes, and the results were visible in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," she said.
Highlighting the alliance's performance in 2024, she said, "In the 2024 general elections, it was Uttar Pradesh that shattered Narendra Modi's arrogance and halted his victory march. Today, his government is dependent on crutches."
She was referring to the support extended to the BJP-led Union government by allies, including Janta Dal (United) led by former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Mona claimed that Congress and INDIA bloc parties in Uttar Pradesh prevented the BJP from achieving its much-touted goal of "400 paar" (more than 400 seats).
She asserted that the Congress would perform better in the 2027 assembly elections than it did in 2024, and better still in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Asked whether defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be the alliance's target in the coming elections, she said, "Time will tell. Nothing in politics is permanent; only ideology is permanent."
On whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be projected as Congress' chief ministerial face in Uttar Pradesh, Mona said, "Priyanka Gandhi is a daughter of this state. Amethi and Rae Bareli are her home. She is a very prominent figure in national politics. No position is too big or too small for her; it will be her personal decision."
Alleging incongruity between the BJP's words and actions, she said the party had spoken much about 33 per cent reservation for women but had not implemented it.
"The Congress has repeatedly demanded its implementation. When Priyanka Gandhi came to Uttar Pradesh in 2022, the Congress gave 40 per cent of its tickets to women," she said.
Asked why the Congress had failed to return to power despite appointing five Brahmin state presidents, including three women, since 1989, and whether its traditional Brahmin vote had shifted towards the BJP, Mona said regional politics, caste affiliations and community-based politics had evolved across the country.
"The BJP encouraged this trend, which changed the entire political landscape. But people are now aware of the BJP's actions. It will no longer be able to mislead them," she said.
Asked about the commotion between supporters of former state Congress president Ajay Rai and Congress councillor Mamta Chaudhary at the state party headquarters on the day she assumed charge, Mona said the new team is working with a single goal in mind.
"That incident has nothing to do with our goal."
She added that the party's central leadership has formed a committee to investigate the incident. Its report would be submitted to the state Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam. She declined to comment further.
On the formation of the new state Congress committee, Mona said it would be constituted soon.
"Uttar Pradesh is not a small state; it is very diverse. My objective is to take everyone along and ensure representation for all."
Asked what the party considers key issues, she said unemployment is the biggest challenge facing young people in the country and the state.
Paper leaks and the failure to conduct recruitment examinations had angered the youth, she added.
Commenting on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Mona said lack of trust in the Election Commission is dangerous for democracy.
"If he (Gyanesh Kumar) has any sense of morality, he should resign," she said, adding that elections should be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Mona also accused the BJP of creating a sense of insecurity.
"The BJP has filled the entire country with a sense of insecurity. It is not just one community; every person feels insecure today. Why is the Gen-Z on the streets? Because they feel insecure," she said.
She further alleged that outsourcing in Uttar Pradesh had led to the dismantling of the public sector.