Congress seeks to get caste equations right in Uttar Pradesh with new state unit chief

Party president Sonia Gandhi also appointed six regional heads in the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee

Seven months after its near wipe out in the state assembly polls, which led to the resignation of its state president Ajai Kumar Lalu, Congress leadership on Saturday appointed Brijlal Khabri, a dalit leader, who had crossed over to the grand old party from the BSP, as the party's Uttar Pradesh unit president.

In an apparent bid to strengthen the party in different regions in the state as many as six regional presidents were also appointed. They included Ajai Rai, Naseemuddin Siddique, Virendra Chaudhary, Nakul Dubey, Anil Yadav and Yogesh Dixit.

Khabri’s appointment came a day after the leadership unofficially threw its weight behind Mallikarjun Kharge, a prominent leader who belongs to Dalit community, for the post of Congress president.

Khabri, the 61-year-old leader known for his organisational skills, is expected to act as a “bridge” between the party and the Dalit community in the state.

Khabri, a former Lok Sabha MP, who had crossed over to the Congress from the BSP, hailed from Lalitpur district in Bundelkhand region of the state. He had contested the March Assembly polls in the state from Maharauni seat on Congress ticket in the district but had lost. His wife had also unsuccessfully contested the assembly poll from Orai seat in Jalaun district.

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State Congress leaders here hailed the appointment of Khabri as the UPCC president and six other regional chiefs saying that the party high command had sought to get the caste equations right ahead of the next general elections due in 2024.

''Khabri's appointment will send a positive message to the Dalit community......the leadership's decision to appont six regional chiefs will help the party expand its support base in each of the region,'' said a senior state Congress leader while speaking to DH here.

He said that a sizable section of the dalit voters were believed to have supported the BJP in the March assembly polls in the state. ''Apparently dalits are not happy with BSP....Congress can emerge as an option for them,'' he added.

Sources said the Congress leadership took the caste and regional equation into consideration before appointing six regional presidents – for Purvanchal, Awadh, Prayag, Bundelkhand, Braj and Paschim zones – under the state president to maximise political earnings from the state, which sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha. At present, Congress has only one MP – party chief Sonia Gandhi – from UP.

Through Virendra Chaudhary, an MLA who will be regional president for Purvanchal, Congress expects to attract Kurmis and he would look after party interests in Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Basti, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar and Kushinagar.

Former Minister Ajai Rai has been given the responsibility of the Prayag region. A Bhumihar by caste, Rai has connections in the community across the state.

Through Nakul Dubey, heading Awadh and Yogesh Dixit in Bundelkhand, the party expects to woo Brahmins.
Nasimuddin Siddiqui will look after western UP, while Anil Yadav (Etawa), coming from Yadav land in Braj, will be given the responsibility of the Braj region.

Congress had fared miserably in the Assembly elections and could manage to win only two seats despite an extensive campaigning by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.