With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 2027, the Indian National Congress has intensified its preparations well in advance. After a high-level meeting chaired recently by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the party decided to contest the 2026 Panchayat elections independently.
On Thursday, another key strategy meeting was held, attended by Wayanad MP and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, UP Congress president Ajay Rai, and state in-charge Avinash Pande.
The developments from the meeting strongly indicate that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may once again take the lead in the Congress campaign for the 2027 Assembly elections. She had stepped down from her role as UP in-charge after the Congress’ poor performance in the 2022 state elections, where the party contested alone and secured only two seats—its worst-ever result in the state.
On the social media platform X, the official Congress account posted four images from the meeting, stating that KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a review session with UP Congress leaders to discuss organisational issues and upcoming strategies. The meeting included senior leaders such as Avinash Pande, Ajay Rai, and Leader of Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly Aradhana Mishra “Mona.”
Sources suggest that the discussions during the meeting centred on candidate selection criteria for the 2026 Panchayat elections. The party aims to use these grassroots polls to identify strong performers who could then be considered for Assembly tickets in 2027. Strengthening the organisation and sustaining the momentum gained during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were also key points of conversation.
Although Congress fought the 2022 Assembly elections solo, it is now clear that the party will contest the 2027 elections under the INDIA bloc banner in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP). SP chief Akhilesh Yadav recently confirmed in an interview that his party will partner with Congress for the upcoming state polls.
However, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai continues to assert that the party is preparing for all 403 Assembly constituencies—a strategic posture aimed at securing better terms during seat-sharing negotiations with the SP. A similar stance had been taken during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Congress initially claimed readiness for all 80 seats but eventually settled for 17 as part of the alliance arrangement.
Party insiders say if Priyanka Gandhi takes charge again for the UP elections, seat-sharing talks with the SP are likely to be smoother.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha negotiations, when discussions hit a stalemate on certain seats, it was Priyanka who intervened and facilitated consensus after consulting Rahul Gandhi and holding talks with Akhilesh Yadav.
As the Congress attempts to rebuild its organisational strength in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s re-entry into a leadership role could significantly influence both alliance dynamics and the party’s ground-level mobilisation ahead of the crucial 2027 battle.