Jyotiraditya Scindia vows to bring Congress back in power

New Delhi: With a “resolve to strengthen the party in the state”, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia Wednesday took charge as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for western region of Uttar Pradesh.

“Took over as Congress general secretary after doing ‘Ganesh pooja’ at the AICC office, with the resolve of strengthening the party in the state,” he said on micro blogging website Twitter while sharing a video of the prayer ceremony.  

He said the Congress has a good opportunity to come back in the reckoning in UP by winning a number of Lok Sabha seats to form the government at the Centre and then in the state in 2022.

Soon after assuming the new charge at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Mr Scindia performed a Ganesh pooja. He later met some party workers, including those from western Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Scindia’s appointment was made along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was made the general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, on January 23.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh is home to the constituencies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The scion of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, Mr Scindia has been entrusted with the  task of strengthening the Congress in western Uttar Pradesh, where the party did not win any seat in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Scindia’s skills will be put to test in the Hindi heartland state in uniting the party cadres and putting up a good show by winning a few crucial seats in upcoming general elections expected to take place in May this year.

One of the main contenders for the chief minister's post in Madhya Pradesh after the assembly elections last year, he settled for a central role along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Scindia (48), an MP from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, is already the party's chief whip in Lok Sabha.