The Congress on Saturday indicated changes in Uttar Pradesh following a meeting that AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad had with party chief Ms Sonia Gandhi during the day.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nirmal Khatri could be replaced any time in the coming days. According to some UP Congress officials, he had already told the party high command that he could not tour the state on health grounds.
The name of former Lok Sabha member from Varanasi, Rajesh Mishra, is doing the rounds for the PCC president’s post besides that of former Union minister Jitin Prasad and Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari. The new PCC president could be an upper caste Brahmin, sources said.
Mr Mishra, the two-term MLC, got the highest votes in the 14th Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi. He was a president of the students’ union of Kashi Hindu University.
Mr Azad who has been optimistic that Priyanka Gandhi would campaign for the Congress outside Amethi, Rai Bareli and Sultanpur, on Saturday met district Congress presidents and other officials from Agra, Moradabad and Bareilly divisions at the AICC headquarters.
“This was a preliminary exercise undertaken for a formal introduction with the district Congress officials. Azad asked them about their political assessment in their districts,” a state Congress leader said.
He also said Mr Azad and the election strategist Prashant Kishor would work together, organising regional meetings.
But the DCC chiefs were not satisfied with Saturday’s overture. “We were expecting a serious, meaningful exercise, but saw a casual approach. This will not help the party because the BJP, BSP and Samajwadi Party are more organised, focused and know who their main opponent is in the coming electoral battle,” they said.
