Congress Reshuffles UP Leadership, Signals Dalit-OBC Focus for 2027 Assembly Polls

Months before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress party has begun restructuring its organisational strategy in the state. The move signals a renewed focus on a Dalit-OBC social coalition that the party believes can strengthen both its independent revival and its position within the INDIA alliance.

In a significant reshuffle, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday replaced Avinash Pande as the general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh with Rajendra Pal Gautam. Gautam is the national chairman of the party’s Scheduled Castes Department and a prominent Dalit leader. The change came a day after Gautam was in Lucknow along with AICC’s OBC wing in-charge Anil Jaihind to mark the anniversary of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj as “Reservation Day”.

Senior Congress sources said the appointment was viewed as more than a routine organisational change. The party sees it as a political message aimed at consolidating Dalit support ahead of the assembly elections, while also reinforcing its claim that not only its ally Samajwadi Party has the ability to be an option for Dalit voters.

The organisational restructuring is likely to extend beyond the appointment of the AICC’s UP in-charge. The Congress is also expected to reshuffle the AICC secretaries in charge of the state, as well as the state Congress leadership, including the state Congress president, ahead of the assembly polls. Party sources said the next Uttar Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee (UPPCC) president was likely to be an OBC leader, completing the Dalit-OBC social coalition the party is banking on for the polls.

“There is a broad view within the party that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were fought successfully on the themes of social justice and protecting the Constitution. If the Congress wants to carry that narrative into 2027, it must also reflect that commitment in its own organisation,” said a senior Congress leader.

The current UPPCC president is Ajay Rai, a Bhumihar leader from eastern UP who was appointed in August 2023, replacing Dalit leader Brijlal Khabri ahead of the 2024 elections. Rai contested the last two parliamentary elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, neatly fitting into the party’s Lok Sabha election strategy. In 2024, he succeeded in reducing Modi’s victory margin.

However, party leaders said the political requirements for the assembly elections were different. Within the party, there is a growing belief that a significant section of Dalit voters shifted towards the INDIA alliance in UP during the last Lok Sabha elections because of the party’s campaign centred on reservation and constitutional safeguards. Holding on to those voters is crucial for its chances in the coming battle.

While Samajwadi Party leaders have publicly played down that assessment, Congress leaders argue that this support gives the party greater leverage in future seat-sharing negotiations for the assembly elections. “It is clear that the restructuring is being done with the 2027 elections in mind and with a clear focus on Dalits and OBCs,” said a senior leader.