The Uttar Pradesh Congress is making efforts to regain its lost support base and is preparing to strengthen its electoral ground in Uttar Pradesh and is seeking to focus on Manipur. The party is set to hold a “Save the Constitution” convention between 1 to 5 August and Pradesh President, Brij Lal Khabri, will be touring 14 districts of Western Uttar Pradesh. This convention is considered a significant initiative by the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh in preparation for the 2024 elections.
Khabri will be at the forefront of this campaign, conducting “Save the Constitution” conventions in three districts each day. Through these conventions, Congress aims to inform people about the promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government which remain unfulfilled. The party also plans to utilise these gatherings to corner the BJP over the Manipur incident as the Congress believes that criticising the BJP over the Manipur violence might help create a favourable atmosphere for its candidates in Uttar Pradesh.
The schedule for the campaign begins on 1 August with a convention in Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Ghaziabad. On 2 August, meetings will be held in Meerut, Hapur, and Baghpat. Saharanpur, Shamli, and Muzaffarnagar will be covered on 3 August, while Sambhal, Amroha, and Rampur will be visited on 4 August. The campaign will conclude with conventions in Moradabad and Bijnor on 5 August. In all, Pradesh President Khabri will connect with the general population in 14 districts over these five days.
The Congress Party is actively trying to reclaim its lost ground in Uttar Pradesh and is involving old workers and candidates in the process. Recently, the party’s candidates for the 2022 assembly elections provided Khabri with feedback from the ground. Based on their feedback, the 80 seats will be divided into three categories. The party aims to form a panel of candidates based on caste calculations and send it to the top leadership.
Brij Lal Khabri will be touring Lok Sabha constituencies under the first category before this report is submitted. On his tour, Khabri will be verifying the ground reports from the candidates to ensure that no seat is left unattended.
The Congress’ struggles in Uttar Pradesh are long-standing. In the 2022 assembly elections, the party’s candidates received a total of 21,51,234 votes, which accounted for only 2.33% of the total votes polled. In the 2017 assembly elections, Congress contested 114 seats, receiving 54,16,540 votes—6.25% of the total votes. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw the party win one seat. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party won two seats and secured 7.53% of votes. The party has been unsuccessful in finding an effective strategy to regain its lost voter base so far.
With the general elections approaching, it remains to be seen how Congress will perform in Uttar Pradesh. For now, the party has begun preparing its strategies and reorganising its groundwork in the state.