LUCKNOW: The state unit of Congress party is set to organize a ‘Nav Sankalp Shivir’ in Lucknow on June 1 and 2. This will be the first such event after UP Assembly elections where the party intends to thrash out a strategy for its revival in the state. AICC general secretary, and UP incharge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also expected to take part in the event.
Notably, the Congress party stands decimated with just two MLAs in Assembly, after recently concluded elections in the state which the party ruled till 1989. As per the highly-placed sources in state Congress party, the Shivir will be attended by the state office bearers, district and city chiefs, former parliamentarians and MLAs, the candidates who were fielded by the party in 2019 general elections and 2022 Assembly elections, state chiefs of frontal organizations, chairpersons of various cells of the party and also the spokesmen.
If Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, attends the camp, it will be her visit to UP after the Assembly elections which concluded in March.
In fact, Congress is becoming a non-entity in the state gradually with dismal presence in both the assembly and council. While in Vidhan Parishad, it has only one members – Deepak Singh—who would complete his term in July this year. After this, there is no possibility of any Congress representative reaching the council in near future as the party does not have requisite number in Assembly. Even its vote share has been dwindling since 2012 assembly elections from over 15 per cent then to 2.33 per cent now which is lowest in the political history of the party in UP.
As per the party sources, to ascertain the reasons for party’s decimation in UP, Priyanka has already analyzed the situation in Delhi. “Now, she would follow it up with the party workers in Lucknow on June 1 and 2,” said a senior Congress leader.
According to the sources, the party leadership is contemplating to make major changes in the team which was constituted between the last general election and 2022 assembly polls. In all the committees, the old and new leaders are likely to get a place in a ratio of 65:35. Similarly, the office-bearers falling in the age group of 40-55 years would be entrusted with bigger responsibilities.
Party general secretary in UP, Dinesh Kumar Singh is believed to have sent correspondence to all those office bearers who would be invited to the Shivir. The party sources claimed that it was decided to keep all those leaders, who used to remain around Priyanka during her Lucknow visits, away from the camp as they had flaunted their stature annoying many senior leaders of the party in state.