Lucknow: Congress general secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has once again moved to the centre of political discussion in Uttar Pradesh after the party rolled out a long-term organisational and outreach drive on January 12, coinciding with her birthday.
The initiative, titled the Parivartan Pratigya Program, was formally launched from Lucknow and is planned to run across the state down to the booth level until 2027. Framed around social justice, constitutional values and mobilisation of backward communities, the programme marks one of the most structured attempts by the Congress in recent years to rebuild its grassroots base in Uttar Pradesh.
The timing and scale of the campaign have triggered renewed debate over Priyanka Gandhi’s future political role in the state. Senior leaders privately acknowledge that her increasing involvement is expected to give the Congress a clearer face in Uttar Pradesh and help energise cadres ahead of the next Assembly polls.
Former Congress minority cell chairman Maroof Khan said the party needs a recognisable leader to revive organisational morale. “Priyanka Gandhi has a connect with workers and the public. A more active role from her can change the internal political mood and strengthen the party’s presence in UP,” he said.
Also Watch:
The campaign is being coordinated by the UP Congress Backward Classes Department. Its president Manoj Yadav described it as an effort to lay the political foundation for an alternative government. “This is about building a platform around backward classes, Dalits and minorities. The idea is to prepare the ground for political change, and Priyanka Gandhi will be associated with many of the programmes,” he said.
According to Yadav, the drive began on January 12, 2026, and will culminate in a major rally in Lucknow on January 12, 2027. Over the next 100 days, the party plans to organise more than 30 constitution dialogue programmes across districts. Activities will include district-level conventions, outreach in colleges and universities, public participation campaigns from the state to booth level, and grassroots mobilisation through street meetings and cultural programmes.
Congress leaders say a detailed year-long calendar of events will soon be released. They stress that the programme is designed as a sustained political process rather than a one-day mobilisation. The decision to anchor it to January 12 each year, leaders say, is intended to turn the date into a marker of political commitment rather than symbolism.
The Congress has made it clear that backward communities, which account for over 40 percent of Uttar Pradesh’s electorate, are a primary focus, with special attention on young OBC voters.
Political observers see the initiative as a signal that Priyanka Gandhi’s engagement with the state unit could expand in the coming months. Party leaders point to the Congress’s improved performance in the last Lok Sabha elections, where it won seven seats in Uttar Pradesh, as a morale booster.
Also Watch:
While acknowledging that the party has struggled in the state over the past decade and that the 2022 Assembly polls largely turned bipolar between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, Congress functionaries insist the organisation is no longer willing to remain on the margins.
With Rahul Gandhi sustaining a national push and Priyanka Gandhi’s profile in Uttar Pradesh appearing set to rise, the Congress is indicating that its groundwork for 2027 has already begun.
