NEW DELHI: Going for a mix of vintage and new, the Congress may project one of its young leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Jitin Prasada, after having given the charge of the state to Ghulam Nabi Azad. If Prasada is indeed made UP Congress chief, he will be replacing Nirmal Khatri before the high-stakes 2017 electoral battle.
After a series of electoral debacles, the Congress is desperate to crack the game in UP and counter the BJP’s spread across the country. Prasada told Express he had been called for a meeting with Azad on Wednesday morning but he had “no idea why’’.
In Prasad’s case, caste is the factor that the Congress is looking at. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor whom the Congress hired to manage its UP campaign has reportedly suggested that a Brahmin face should be projected. If the party finally opts for Prasada as UPCC president, the Azad-Prasada combination will certainly be expected to woo back the traditional minority and the upper caste votes back to the fold.
The names of three other Brahmin leaders – Sheila Dikshit, Rajesh Mishra and Lalitesh Tripathy – are in the circulation for the UPCC top job.
Meanwhile, the party on Tuesday expelled six MLAs for cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha Elections.