New Delhi: The Congress is excited over the party’s prospects in Uttar Pradesh ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to his parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli on July 9 after retaining the seat and becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The former party chief had earlier visited the area, along with sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on June 10, soon after getting elected from both Rae Bareli and Wayanad parliamentary seats, but this is a proper trip as Rae Bareli MP.
“This is Rahul Gandhi’s first visit after retaining Rae Bareli's seat and becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The choices he has made will certainly boost the party in the state over the coming days. We are targeting the 2027 assembly polls. We will strengthen our party and the INDIA alliance to dislodge the BJP in the next polls,” AICC in- charge of UP Avinash Pande told ETV Bharat.
According to senior UP Congress leader Deepak Singh, during his coming visit, “Rahul Gandhi will travel across the five assembly seats Rae Bareli, Unchahar, Bachchrawan, Sareni and Harchandpur under the parliamentary constituency to thank the voters and interact with them. A big rally may not be possible in the area due to the monsoon season, said local party leaders, adding that both the workers and the public were excited over the MPs' visit.
“For many in the area, it is a continuity of a Gandhi family member as their MP which makes them happy. Their issues also get addressed quickly as there is an established system to look into public grievances and needs,” said Singh.
The Rae Bareli seat was chosen for Rahul for two reasons. First to field a Gandhi family member from the party bastion and second to convey a message to the voters across UP.
The Congress contested 17 of 80 parliamentary seats as part of an alliance with the Samajwadi Party and won six seats, including the Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli.
In this light, the Lok Sabha results may be seen as an opportunity for the party but the challenge is equally big ahead of the 2027 state elections, said party insiders.
“The BJP has been in power in the state since 2017 but they suffered a dent in the national elections. The INDIA alliance target is to defeat the saffron party in 2027. We can bring about change in policies only if we are in power. We will have to revamp our organisation and work hard towards the objective. Our workers will have to be energized so they become the voice of the people,” Sitapur Lok Sabha MP Rakesh Rathor told ETV Bharat.
“Rahul Gandhi’s presence as an MP will boost the party’s prospects, but we should have won more parliamentary seats. Our state unit chief Ajay Rai is working hard to revive the organisation across the state. There are plans to recast local level units,” he said.
“A review is going on within the organisation. Those who work hard will be given key party roles while attempts will be made to bring in new people wherever needed. The Congress has supporters everywhere, we just need to activate them,” Deepak Singh added.
