Rift in UP Congress? Ajay Rai, Rajendra Pal Gautam differences and a leadership change talk – What we know

The Congress party is grappling with an internal rift in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are scheduled to be held next year. The developments come after the party faced a similar internal feud in Punjab, which is also due to go to the polls next year.

In Uttar Pradesh, differences have emerged between state president Ajay Rai and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam. A few days ago, high command stepped in to address the volatile situation in its unit in Punjab, and changed the AICC in-charge tasking Sachin Pilot with the new assignment.

Amid the rift reports, there is also a growing speculation that Ajay Rai, could be replaced in the next couple of days. Rai could be replaced by MLA Aradhana Mishra Mona, who is a senior Congress leader and the daughter of party MP Pramod Tiwari, according to a report in Indian Express.

Why the rift in UP Congress?

The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress has two main leaders. Rai is a Bhumihar from Varanasi, and Gautam is a Dalit leader who was previously with Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. Rai was appointed state president in August 2023, while Gautam took charge as the AICC in-charge in June this year.

Rai, whose politics has centered around UP for long has issues with Gautam who has been in Delhi mostly. Gautam was a minister in Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government before joining the Congress party in September 2024.

As the rift simmers, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal met Gautam last week to discuss issues that could affect the functioning of the state unit under Rai, the Indian Express said.

Vadra has been involved in party affairs in Uttar Pradesh since the Congress began preparing for the 2027 Assembly polls and has participated in key meetings. Friction between Rai and Gautam could affect the party’s prospects in the crucial Assembly elections next year, many Congress leaders feel.

Gautam has reportedly argued before party high command that a Muslim leader would better fit the Congress’s attempt to build a social coalition of Dalits and Muslims. He has suggested the name of Nadeem Javed, a former MLA from Jaunpur, according to media reports. The proposition has not gone down well with Rai, according to the reports.

Dalit in-charge (Gautam) and a Muslim state president would put more pressure on the SP during seat-sharing talks, considering that the SP is banking on Muslim support, a leader was quoted as saying in Indian Express.

A seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the upcoming UP elections has not yet been formalised.

Rai is reportedly unhappy with Gautam’s style of functioning. Many have accused the former Delhi Minister and now AICC in-charge of trying to operate like the state president. There have been several instances of Rai and Gautam avoiding each other at party programmes.

Both leaders have denied that there was any friction between them.

The Punjab Congress problem

The Punjab Congress unit has been grappling with factionalism for the past many weeks.

The infighting was triggered after the Congress leadership on July 1 announced its decision to retain Warring as the state unit chief and appoint Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Channi as the chairperson of its campaign committee.

A section of leaders led by Channi opposed the move to retain Warring as the Punjab Congress president and sought his removal from the position.

The Punjab Congress’ protest against the AAP government over various issues on Tuesday again highlighted an internal rift within the state unit as prominent faces including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa skipped the party’s demonstration.

Their absence appeared to be weighing on the mind of state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring who told party members during the protest that there was no infighting and they should remain united on the ground for the party.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) had organised a major protest against the Bhagwant Mann government over several issues, including the drug menace and alleged deteriorating law and order.

During the protest, which was led by Warring, the Congress leaders and workers were stopped by the Chandigarh Police when they attempted to head towards Chief Minister Mann’s official residence to gherao it. Many leaders were detained by the police.

In his address at the protest, Warring said, “Somebody says Raja Warring will go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. But what do you have to do? You (workers) will have to stand behind Congress leaders with party flags in your hands.

“Be it Channi saab or any other big leader, there is no infighting. But I want to urge you to get together on the ground,” Warring said in his address.

The Ludhiana MP asserted his unfailing loyalty and commitment towards the Congress, saying no matter what position he holds, he will always remain with the Congress which has given him a lot.

Last month also, Channi had skipped the party’s protest programme at the Punjab Congress headquarters.

Significantly, Channi and Randhawa attended a protest in Jalandhar on Monday against the BJP over the alleged “purification” ritual carried out after a public meeting addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani and the registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi.

Ever since Warring was retained as the Punjab Congress chief, many leaders siding with Channi have stayed away from programmes organised under the Ludhiana MP leadership.

The Congress on Saturday carried out a major organisational reshuffle and appointed Sachin Pilot as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel.

In a recent interivew, Sachin Pilot told HT that all Punjab leaders have assured him they will work together to deliver results under Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership.