‘In UP, there was public anger over jobs, price rise and farm issues… PM tried to divert attention, but we kept our focus on them’: AICC in-charge

the ruling BJP-led NDA – to hold an organisational meeting at the Congress office in Lucknow, Pande spoke to The Indian Express about a range of issues related to the polls as well as his party’s future plans in the crucial heartland state. Excerpts from the interview:

* What is the future of the Congress-SP alliance in UP?

We felicitated Akhilesh Yadav ji for the successful alliance that contested the election based on issues. We expressed gratitude and assured him that we are going to keep the issue-based alliance alive in the future with a level of coordination and understanding that is similar to the way we coordinated in this election. And not just here. Overall, the aim of the Congress was to strengthen the alliance rather than focus on the number of seats, so that we can contest as one force in future.

* You mentioned starting preparations for UP local body polls and 2027 Assembly elections. Will you contest them as allies as well?

It is too early to say. Right now, our focus will be on strengthening the organisation. You will see Congress and SP coordinate better on the ground to raise public issues. The main motive of the Congress was to counter the attitude of the Central government. For that, not just here but in other states as well, we are focusing on strengthening alliances everywhere, instead of focusing on seats. In UP, as we begin preparations for the 2027 Assembly polls, our focus is on strengthening the organisation first.

* You travelled to all 80 constituencies in UP and held alliance meetings with both Congress and SP cadre. What worked in your favour?

I travelled 7,000 km in 40 days, covering 80 constituencies, and attended 133 alliance meetings. What I could see is that the Congress is very much alive in all parts of the state down to the block level. In some cases, our presence at the gram sabha level is even stronger than at the block level. While we contested on 17 seats, it was the Congress that led the campaign from the front on most seats. When I held meetings, it was not about speeches but purely co-ordination.

I felt a wave of change. People wanted change over the issues of farmers, unemployment. There was public anger on every seat, be it over unemployment or price rise. Even though PM Modi tried to divert attention, we kept our focus on real issues such as unemployment and those related to farmers. Saving the Constitution and democracy were other significant issues that connected us with the people, as everyone is feeling the pressure. If the administration had not been misused, we might have won at least four more seats.

* Which are the 4 seats you feel you could have won?

These are Bansgaon, Kanpur, Amroha and Deoria. The administration was misused on these seats to ensure Congress loses. We are exploring legal options to make an appeal before the Election Commission. The first one would be Bansgaon, from where our senior leader Sadal Prasad was giving a close fight to the BJP candidate, but suddenly the counting was stopped. Our first appeal to the EC will be for this seat. For us, it was a fight for every seat. We gained as it was the public that was contesting this election.

* What will be your first step in UP now?

We are soon going to call a state committee meeting, but first we have begun a “Dhanyawad Yatra”, covering 403 Assembly segments, which will continue till June 15. We’re reaching every Assembly segment to convey the message of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, firstly thanking them for their support, then assuring them that we’ll fight to meet Rahul ji’s “25 guarantees”. Very soon, we are going to hold a party general body meeting, where a time-bound programme for the next 100 days would be launched, focusing on strengthening the organisation. We’ll also start the process of identifying candidates for 2027. The ones who are identified, will be given time-bound programmes, based on which their candidature will be re-evaluated from time to time.

* For the Dhanyawad Yatras, Rahul, Priyanka invited and thanked local SP leaders for successful alliance in Rae Bareli. Is it being repeated elsewhere?

Across districts, these thanksgiving yatras are being undertaken by local leaderships, district units, frontal organisations and candidates. We are inviting district SP leadership in every Assembly segment.

* Bypolls on nine Assembly seats in UP are due soon. The Congress did not win any of these seats in 2022. Would the party make a claim for contesting any of these seats?

Yes, we’ll definitely be contesting by-elections in UP. For these nine seats, we’ll hold a dialogue with our allies about which candidates to field on them.

* Were there hardships you faced on the ground during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, any shortcomings?

There were many hardships, as each seat in UP was an experience for me. I’ll cite one example: our mikes were switched off during a meeting in Varanasi half-an-hour before the allotted time was over. We had to address the remaining public meeting without a mike. Then, there are examples of seats like that of Sadal Prasad ji (Bansgaon).

But, one thing I must tell you is that Congress is still very strong at the grassroots, and in the coming days, you will see a revived and strong Congress organisation at all five levels of the state (village, block, Assembly, district, state). Our target is to develop a strong, five-tier Congress in Uttar Pradesh.