After a protracted wait and prolonged suspense over its electoral technique, the Congress is now able to sound the ballot bugle in Uttar Pradesh. For the previous two days, get together’s UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi had been brainstorming the marketing campaign blueprint together with her get together leaders in Lucknow. As the ultimate evaluation of organisational energy and political state of affairs takes place, there may be additionally an growing sense of realism and electoral pragmatism inside the prime management.
This can be a realism which is forcing the get together to undertake the technique appropriate to its energy in UP; a technique to intention for a goal that may hopefully put the Congress again on the trail of relevance in state politics and if the state of affairs arises, could also be, within the recreation of any non-BJP authorities formation put up elections. The concept is to “plan for the state however deal with the core”, that’s, go in for a pan-UP marketing campaign however zero down on a choose variety of seats, put the most important focus and assets on a winnable seat and attempt to regain misplaced floor.
A well-informed prime chief mentioned: “We aspire to emerge in a state of affairs the place we could be the stakeholder in any non-BJP authorities formation post-election. Realism is that Congress will not be within the race to kind the following authorities in contrast to the BJP or SP, however we’re assured we will emerge to make sure that there isn’t any get together with out us.”
This narrative of “no authorities with out us” is now shaping the get together’s electoral technique. A political positioning that the management hopes will enhance the morale of the get together cadres and pitch the get together as a critical participant in UP’s electoral battle.
Sources inform that the get together had already accomplished an intensive mapping of the constituencies on foundation of caste equations, earlier electoral outcomes and its organisational energy. By way of this research, it has divided the meeting seats below A+, A, B and C classes. The A+ and A are the constituencies that are essentially the most promising. Round 100 to 125 out of complete 400 plus seats fall in these two classes. These are seats the place the get together hopes exhausting work and pumping in assets can work of their favour.
The 50-odd seats the place the candidate names have virtually been finalised by Priyanka Gandhi throughout her current engagements in Lucknow are those amongst this prime class. The get together is all set to offer these candidates a go-ahead, in order that there isn’t any confusion and ample time for preparation.
DO REALITIES MATCH THE ASPIRATIONS?
The query is that if the Congress is mostly a contender of significance within the electoral battle or its ambition of rising a stakeholder in formation of the following authorities is a misplaced argument. Can the get together that has been out of energy within the state for greater than three many years and has been seen more and more in decline through the years with virtually no devoted caste base assist be taken significantly?
The get together’s close to decimal efficiency within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it might simply win one seat of Rai Barely and earlier than that in 2017 meeting election, when it failed miserably regardless of being in an alliance with the Samajwadi Social gathering, is prominently seen because the proof of disaster by which it’s. In 2017, it contested round 115 seats and will win simply 6 and handle 6.24 % vote share.
In response to those tales of humiliation, Congress leaders cite the previous information. They level out that the present was not that humiliating for the get together within the decade earlier than 2017. In 2012 meeting polls, regardless of an enormous wave in favour of the Samajwadi Social gathering, Congress had polled round 12 per cent votes and received 28 seats. The mighty BJP of right now was not far forward. It had bought 15 per cent of the entire vote solid and received 47 seats.
Earlier, in 2007 meeting polls, Congress had grabbed 22 meeting seats and had bought round 9 per cent votes. Arch opponent BJP was profitable on 51 seats. An underlying story of those two elections was the truth that Congress had succeeded to maintain regardless of huge consolidation of the minorities in favour of both the BSP or the SP.
One other facet of significance was additionally the truth that a rise in vote proportion by 3 or 4 factors could make a major distinction within the variety of seats received. The Congress thinks that in contrast to 2017, when there was an unprecedented polarisation in favour of the BJP, virtually squeezing your complete opposition in a nook, the 2022 problem is not going to have BJP in such a place of dominance.
The rising anti-incumbency in opposition to the Yogi authorities, the farmers’ unrest, unemployment and antagonised castes — specifically the Brahmins — will likely be sturdy components that can lead to a greater area for Opposition’s politics and the Congress can also achieve from it.
THE PRIYANKA FACTOR- IS THE ORGANISATION BETTER PLACED?
The query is what makes Priyanka hopeful of a greater future or optimist about reclaiming some misplaced floor from the close to state of affairs of a wipe-out? This even though the get together right now lacks huge names amongst leaders within the state. Former Union minister and distinguished Brahmin face Jitin Prasada’s exit to BJP additional added to the embarrassment. Social gathering leaders, nonetheless, say that the hope comes from the work that has gone down in organisation constructing over the previous two years since Priyanka took the reins of the UP get together as the final secretary in cost.
Ever since Priyanka took cost, the organisational pruning and fixing accountability grew to become her prime precedence. A senior get together functionary working intently together with her remembers how through the months following the final election final yr, the organisational hollowness was uncovered on floor. Whilst Priyanka tried to set the ball rolling, main from the entrance in circumstances together with homicide of Dalit tribals in Sonbhadra, the get together leaders did not capitalise on the momentum.
Her first step was to overtake and enthuse new vigour within the district and metropolis committees. Within the months that adopted, not simply the 500-plus PCC was overhauled and pruned to 60-member strong committee, districts items had been additionally revamped and immense focus was placed on constructing the get together base throughout villages.
Congress’s state organisation secretary Anil Yadav says, “Our get together now has a useful committee in all greater than 800 blocks and several other thousand village panchayats. Organisational revamp work is sort of over, go to of Priyanka-ji now could be the final event of organisational assessment earlier than we plunge into aggressive electoral marketing campaign.”
It’s on the premise of those improved organisational capabilities that the get together feels it could possibly make a distinction. From 6 per cent vote share of 2017, going up in a major means is a goal that may be achieved with some intelligent and targeted planning. The get together significantly hopes that the narrative of being a stakeholder in energy or “no authorities with out us” will catch the creativeness of that disgruntled lot which needs to unseat the BJP but additionally doesn’t choose the SP or the BSP.
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