ANDALIB AKHTER / New Delhi
In a bid to strengthen its organisational presence across various states, the Congress party is planning to reach out to social groups in Uttar Pradesh to regain a foothold among the backward castes in the country’s most populous state.
Out of power in Uttar Pradesh for the last four decades, the Congress is now seeking to woo communities such as the Nishad, Pasi, Kushwaha, Maurya, and others. To achieve this, the party has decided to organise a series of social events aimed at energising its cadre and building support among these castes.
As part of this renewed focus, the Congress has declared 2025 as the “Year of Sangathan Srijan” (Organisation Building). In line with this initiative, the state unit will intensify its outreach to these communities.
Currently, the Congress holds only two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh — Amethi and Raebareli — and has virtually no political presence elsewhere in the state, which is often seen as a bellwether in national politics.
“To test the waters among these communities ahead of the panchayat elections next year and the assembly elections in 2027, the party will organise seminars and social programmes to highlight the state government’s apathy towards these socially backward groups,” said a senior Congress leader.
Notably, while the Congress is in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, the high command has instructed the state unit to focus on independently strengthening its grassroots network.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Uttar Pradesh Congress has announced plans to hold a farmers’ rally on October 13 in Muzaffarnagar, a region in western UP considered to be stronghold of the Jat community.