A month after its worst-ever Lok Sabha poll performance in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress dissolved all district and city committees in the state and announced several steps to strengthen the party.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has appointed Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu as organisational head of UP East

The organisational head of UP West would be appointed by Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia later on.

Interestingly, the party did not dissolve the state unit which implies that Raj Babbar would continue as UPCC chief for some time. But, by giving him no role in the appointments of new district level teams, the Congress brass has made it clear that it is not happy with Babbar and hence has kept him aside from the revamp.

Giving information about the recent decision taken by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in New Delhi on Monday, UP Congress spokesman Mukesh Chauhan said the party’s new district committees would have 50 per cent office-bearers below 40 years of age and at least 33 per cent of them would be women.

Chauhan further said that Congress would also set up two-member committees for each Assembly constituency going to bypolls in UP. “The committee would work in respective constituencies where bypolls will be held, suggest suitable contestants and later help with their campaign,” he said.

Chauhan said the party would also set up two disciplinary committees — one each for East and West UP — to address complaints about indiscipline/anti-party activities during 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Each committee would have three members. 

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, Congress won only the Rae Bareli seat. It could not save even its traditional Amethi seat where party chief Rahul Gandhi lost to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani.

Congress had contested 67 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls and it’s vote share dipped to 6 per cent.