Following its strong performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is aiming to contest five of the 10 upcoming Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP). Senior Congress leaders have already been appointed as observers for all 10 seats.

Congress state president Ajay Rai, who recently attended a meeting in Delhi with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders, stated that the party is targeting five seats that were won by the BJP and its allies in the 2022 Assembly elections. While the SP has claimed the Meerapur seat, won by the RLD in alliance with the SP in 2022, Rai is confident that Congress will contest at least four seats.

Initially, Congress had been pushing for two to three seats, but its demand for more has increased amid a statewide review of its cadre’s performance at the district and zonal levels. This review is part of a larger reorganization effort planned for next month, with a recent meeting in Prayagraj, where one of the bypolls will take place.

The SP has also appointed observers for six of the Assembly seats. Rai noted that while Congress has made its case for the seats, the final decision will rest with the senior leadership.

Of the 10 seats up for bypolls, nine became vacant after the sitting MLAs were elected as MPs. The Sishamau constituency in Kanpur is vacant due to the conviction of the sitting SP MLA. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the SP won five of these seats, the BJP three, and the NISHAD Party, an ally of the BJP, one. The Meerapur seat was won by the RLD in partnership with the SP.

Given the BJP’s unexpected drop in seats in Uttar Pradesh during the recent Lok Sabha elections, the upcoming bypolls are crucial for both the ruling party and the SP-Congress alliance.

Rai mentioned that the Congress plans to complete its statewide review of the cadre by August, with the goal of promoting those who have shown results and replacing those who have not.

Among the senior leaders appointed as observers by Congress are K L Sharma for the Sisamau Assembly seat, Imran Masood for Meerapur, Rakesh Rathore for Kundarki, and Tanuj Punia for Ghaziabad. Prayagraj MP Ujjawal Raman Singh, who recently joined Congress from the SP, has been assigned the Phulpur Assembly seat.

Other observers include sitting Congress MLA Virendra Chaudhary for the Manjhwan Assembly seat, former BSP leader Nassimuddin Siddiqui for the Katehri Assembly seat, and ex-MLAs Akhilesh Pratap Singh and Rajkumar Rawar for Milkipur and Khair reserved seats, respectively. Ramnath Sikarwar, who contested the recent Lok Sabha elections from Fatehpur Sikri, has been appointed observer for the Karhal seat, vacated by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

A senior Congress leader explained that the observers were chosen based on their experience and the specific needs of each constituency. He also noted that appointing observers for all the seats, even those likely to be contested by the SP, helps ensure ground-level preparations and coordination.