Election Dynamics: Cong’s UP Cadre Training

The Congress has opted for meticulous management of its Lok Sabha campaign in Uttar Pradesh and will orchestrate instructional sessions for booth-level operatives across all the 80 seats to enhance voter turnout and collaboration with ally Samajwadi Party.

“I recently conducted a two-day initiation seminar for the district and block chairpersons in Lucknow. They will subsequently conduct akin seminars across all the 80 Lok Sabha seats to educate booth-level operatives prior to the elections,” AICC general secretary in charge of UP Avinash Pande stated.

“The instructional and orientation assemblies will ensure harmonization with the regional level SP operatives, which holds paramount importance for the elections. Our operatives will also receive guidance on how to disseminate the five Nyay and 25 assurances among the electorate,” he added.

Reportedly, approximately 500 party operatives and leaders participated in the Lucknow seminar. Additionally, the party is striving to bridge the organizational voids throughout the state.

“The organizational endeavors commenced promptly after assuming office. We have addressed numerous organizational voids, and the endeavor persists,” Pande remarked.

Previously, a deficient organization had been identified as a constraining factor by the Congress strategists in UP. However, this time, there is supplemental backing from the ally SP, which boasts a robust organizational infrastructure across the state.

According to party insiders, the initial litmus test of the collaboration within the opposition consortium would occur on April 19 when 8 seats in western UP would undergo elections. Out of these 8, the Congress is vying for only one, Saharanpur, where it has nominated Imran Masood, who has affiliations with both the SP and BSP in the past.

“The alliance aspires for a commendable performance in the phase 1 elections where the stakes are elevated for the SP. The instructional sessions will be conducted in all the phase 1 constituencies in the forthcoming days,” AICC secretary in charge of UP Pradeep Narwal stated.

Party insiders noted that the vacillation concerning the Rampur constituency was an internal affair of the SP, and the Congress had no commentary on it. On March 27, there was ambiguity regarding the Rampur candidate between two contenders, Asim Raza and Ruchi Veera, with the latter ultimately filing her nomination papers.

Apart from instructing the operatives, the venerable party has also established command centers on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats, which are interconnected with the state-level command center in Lucknow.

“Communication is pivotal, and copious information necessitates exchange during the elections. This novel system will facilitate enhancement in our electoral management,” remarked Pande.

“We have also devised a social media strategy, and our teams will operate in conjunction with the command centers. Although the populace has made up their minds, we need to consistently reinforce to them why they should cast their votes for the INDIA alliance. Social media has emerged as an immensely influential platform during elections, particularly for reaching out to young voters,” he emphasized.

The AICC general secretary expressed contentment with the ticket allocation process. The party has disclosed candidates for several of the 17 seats it is contending for.