Former UP Congress President Ajay rai
Congress strategists said Rai was asked to step down and make way for a stronger party position in the 2027 elections for which he agreed immediately. For example, when Akhilesh Yadav launched his PDA Yatra from Rahul Gandhi ’s Rae Bareli constituency, Rai had quipped that Congress leaders could similarly visit Kannauj, Etawah and Saifai — the SP strongholds.
Lucknow: The Congress decision to replace Ajay Rai as UP unit chief reflects less on his individual performance and more on the party’s recalibration of its strategy for the Assembly elections, party sources told TOI. “The remark prompted a response from the SP, with its leaders saying that Congress members were welcome to visit SP bastions but would not get votes,” a Congress insider said. “Rai would have continued had his equation with SP been smooth,” a close aide said. His personal connect with the cadre and social presence increased the party’s visibility significantly,” a Congress spokesperson said. On the way forward, he said: “I have full confidence that Congress would record a historic win in 2027.”
On the contrary, the newly appointed UPCC chief Aradhana Mishra and her father and Congress veteran Pramod Tewari share an amicable relationship with SP chief. But Rai, too, is popular among sections of UP Congress cadre. “Rai has immensely contributed to organisational fortification. The new team led by Aradhana as UPCC chief and Imran Masood as working president brings a wider social and regional representation.