Congress general secretary and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Lucknow on Thursday afternoon to take firsthand account of the ground situation of the party before kicking off the campaign for the 2022 assembly elections.

Sources, however, confirmed that soon after returning to New Delhi after holding meetings with local leaders, she is likely to remove the present UP Congress state president Ajay Kumar `Lallu’ and replace him with some Brahmin face.

According to a senior party leader, Priyanka’s close lieutenants attached to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee who are monitoring the UP affairs for her are not comfortable with Lallu so they briefed Vadra of the ground realities with a recommendation that due regard should be given to Brahmins by making a member of the community party’s state president as it would augur well for the party otherwise it would fare badly in the UP assembly polls.

It may be mentioned here that all the parties, including Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, have already made moves to attract the Brahmin vote. After the BSP organised Parabuddh Sammelans, the BJP and SP are also going to hold Prabuddh Sammelans from the next week.

Sources in the Congress confirmed that two names, one of Rajesh Mishra from eastern UP and the other of Acharya Pramod Krishnam from western UP, top the list of probable Brahmin candidates for UPCC president’s post. Another potential candidate, Jitin Prasada, has already left Congress to join BJP and is now waiting for a chance to get a berth in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.

Meanwhile, Vadra, who is on a three-day visit to review the party's ‘Mission 2022 assembly polls’, reached Lucknow on Thursday afternoon. At the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Vadra made it clear that she would meet the party workers and hold meetings with the leaders only on Friday and Saturday. Several senior party leaders were present at the airport to welcome her.

Congress leaders here said that Vadra would hold several important meetings with party leaders and office-bearers on September 10 and 11. She would also take stock of the preparations made so far and also chalk out strategy for the 2022 UP polls, keeping caste and political equations in mind. Vadra will also give her approval on the first list of about 40 party candidates for the assembly polls.

Giving more information, Lallu said, “Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will stay at a private residence on Gokhale Marg in Lucknow. On September 10, at 10 am, she will first hold a meeting at the Congress headquarters with the advisory and strategy committee of the UP Congress, after which she will hold a meeting with the Congress state election committee and then hold a zone-wise meeting.”

The AICC general secretary will also review the work done so far on the ground to strengthen the Congress in the state. On the other hand, keeping in mind the political and caste equations of Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming assembly elections, selection of the candidates and announcement of their names may also be made.

According to the sources in Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will review the Congress campaign in every village in the zone-wise meeting to be held in Lucknow. The leaders associated with each zone have been instructed to reach Lucknow with written information about the work done in the zone. During this meeting, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make a detailed review of the formation of gram sabha presidents along with the Congress block and nyaya panchayat samitis formed in every zone. Feedback of training camps will also be taken.

In order to create an atmosphere in favour of Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also formulate a strategy to take issues to the people like failures of the Yogi Adityanath and Narendra Modi governments along with the new agricultural law, farming, unemployment, law and order, corruption and inflation.

A meeting of the Congress general secretary will be also organised with leading businessmen of the city on Saturday. The meeting was initially planned at the UPCC campus but now it has been shifted to a five star hotel, sources disclosed.

Vadra is also likely to visit Rae Bareli and Amethi during her three-day stay before flying back to Delhi.