Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ said they were is banking on 3S — ‘sampark’ (contact), ‘samvaad’ (dialogue) and ‘sangharsh’ (struggle) — to strengthen the party and exuded confidence that the Congress would form the government in the state after 2022 UP assembly elections.

“The biggest challenge is to make the Congress the only alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party. For this, we have to infuse enthusiasm and self-confidence among the party workers and work closely with them,” the UPCC chief said here on Sunday.

“For emerging as the only alternative to the BJP, the path is of struggle. If we stand up to the expectations of the people and win their trust, we will not only become the only alternative to the BJP but also form the government in the state,” Ajay Kumar said.

Asked how he would strengthen the Congress in UP, Ajay Kumar said, “I am banking on sampark, samvaad and sangharsh. The party will undertake a number of creative works and engage in a dialogue with the public. The party will also link more students and youth with itself.”

He said at present the people had given their mandate to the Congress to occupy the fourth position. “But the people will catapult us to the top spot,” he said, adding that the party would be strengthened at the block, tehsil and district levels.

“The party will launch a campaign to gear up for the upcoming panchayat elections and polls to various cooperative organisations,” he said.

On factionalism within the party, the UPCC chief said, “There can be difference of opinion, but every Congressman, be it a leader or a worker, is standing firm while reposing their faith in ideals and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi. And, if there are any difference of opinion, they will be sorted out.”

In the Congress, out of power in Uttar Pradesh for the last three decades, the elevation of an Other Backward Class (OBC) leader as state president is being seen as fundamental shift in party’s strategy so far identified as a party of the upper castes.

With the induction of Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ as UPCC chief, the Congress has tried to reach out to the marginalised sections of society by accommodating the youth from the OBC community and endorsing the politics of social justice.

The Congress has steadily lost ground in UP and its tally in UP assembly has been reduced to single digit – seven — while in the Lok Sabha it has one seat from the state.

With the elevation of Ajay Kumar, the Congress is focusing on eastern UP district. Ajay Kumar is a second term MLA from Tamkuhiraj in Deoria district of eastern UP. Besides, several   members in the UPCC executive are also from east UP.

During the last three decades, caste-based Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj party and the BJP have dominated the politics of eastern UP.

Moreover, the Congress became leaderless in the region after the demise of its tall leaders like Kamlapati Tripathi, Vir Bahadur Singh, Kalpnath Rai and CPN Singh. RPN Singh, son of CPN Singh, was elected to Lok Sabha from Padrauna in 2009 and was also inducted in the Manmohan Singh council of ministers as a minister of state.

The Congress hopes of green shoots in east UP after the elevation of Ajay Kumar as the UPCC president.