LUCKNOW: With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections approaching, and the opposition viewing the contest as crucial to its national revival, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appears to be once again taking centre stage in the party's preparations in the state.
While the Congress has not formally announced any new responsibility for her, recent organisational developments and discussions within the party indicate that she may become one of the key architects of the party's campaign, alliance management and grassroots mobilisation efforts ahead of the polls.
The renewed buzz around Priyanka Gandhi's role gained momentum after her recent meeting with senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders in New Delhi during which she reviewed the party’s poll preparedness.
According to party sources, the meeting was attended by UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, state president Aradhana Mishra Mona, UPCC working president and Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and other senior office-bearers and observers.
The discussions reportedly focused on strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level, finalising key election-related committees and preparing the party machinery for the assembly elections.
Sources indicate that the Congress is in the process of constituting essential committees such as screening, campaign and management panels. The names are expected to be sent to the central leadership for approval before formal announcement. The exercise is being seen as the first major organisational step towards election preparedness.
Party insiders suggest that Priyanka has taken a keen interest in this process and is personally monitoring organisational restructuring. “There is also discussion within the party about forming a dedicated coordination mechanism for alliance management with the Samajwadi Party, Congress's principal ally in Uttar Pradesh,” said a senior Congress leader in Lucknow.
According to leaders familiar with the deliberations, Priyanka may play a direct role in negotiations with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav when seat-sharing talks formally begin.
Congress leaders believe her involvement could help smooth discussions and prevent friction between the alliance partners. “Top leaders of both the parties will sit together after Diwali to chalk out the seat sharing arrangement to ensure the defeat of the BJP in 2027,” said Congress’s UP in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam.
Why does Priyanka matter?
Priyanka’s possible role in alliance negotiations is rooted in experience rather than symbolism. During the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Priyanka was regarded as one of the principal troubleshooters during Congress-SP seat-sharing discussions in the state.
Even during the 2017 assembly polls, Priyanka was the key negotiator who struck the deal of 105 seats for Congress with SP.
At a time when differences occasionally threatened to derail negotiations, she reportedly maintained direct communication channels with Akhilesh Yadav and senior Samajwadi Party leaders. “Her intervention while helping preserve the alliance framework eventually delivered a significant setback to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh during the parliamentary elections. This is to be remembered,” said a senior Congress leader.
For Congress, the challenge in 2027 will be obtaining a respectable share of seats despite being the junior partner in the alliance. While the Samajwadi Party is undeniably the bigger political force in the state, Congress strategists believe Priyanka’s involvement could strengthen the party's bargaining position.
Return to familiar political terrain
The renewed focus on Uttar Pradesh also represents a return to the political landscape where Priyanka has invested considerable energy over the years. Even before formally entering active politics, she was deeply involved in campaigning in the Gandhi family's traditional constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi.
Her political engagement in UP gradually expanded beyond the family strongholds and culminated in her appointment as Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East on January 23, 2019. Her arrival generated considerable enthusiasm within Congress ranks. The party projected her as a charismatic campaigner capable of countering the BJP's political dominance in the Hindi heartland.
The 2022 Assembly election experiment
Priyanka Gandhi's most extensive political test came during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where she effectively became the face of the Congress campaign. The campaign revolved around the slogan "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" (I am a girl, I can fight), aimed at attracting women voters and projecting Congress as a party committed to women's political representation and empowerment.
She led rallies, roadshows and public interactions across districts, becoming the principal campaigner of the party in Uttar Pradesh. However, despite significant visibility and media attention, the electoral outcome proved disappointing. Congress won only two seats and failed to significantly improve its vote share.
Following the defeat, Priyanka Gandhi stepped down from her specific role as Uttar Pradesh in-charge as part of a broader organisational restructuring, though she continued as Congress general secretary.
Congress leaders privately acknowledge that the 2022 campaign offered valuable lessons. “While Priyanka succeeded in energising workers and increasing public visibility for the party, the organisation lacked sufficient booth-level strength to convert campaign momentum into votes,” said AP Verma, a socio-political scientist.
Many analysts also argued that Congress faced a structural challenge in a bipolar contest largely dominated by the BJP and SP. Consequently, the party's current thinking appears to place greater emphasis on organisational rebuilding, alliance management and targeted campaigning rather than solely on high-profile rallies.
While no formal announcement has been made regarding her exact responsibilities with regard to Uttar Pradesh, recent organisational meetings and internal consultations indicate that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is increasingly taking ownership of Congress's Uttar Pradesh strategy.
Her involvement in committee formation, organisational reviews and possible alliance coordination suggests that she could emerge as the principal face of the party's preparations on the ground.
