Lucknow, 23 Oct (HS): On October 2, 2026,

the Congress party designated

three-time MLA Aradhana Mishra 'Mona' as the new head of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), succeeding Ajay Rai. MP Imran Masood was designated as the working president, with Devendra Prasad Mahra and Alok Prasad serving as vice-presidents, creating a new Brahmin-Muslim-OBC-Dalit political alliance

in preparation for the 2027 UP Assembly elections.

Nonetheless, political analysts

are asking: Can leadership transition

resolve factionalism if the fundamental disagreements within a party stay unaddressed?

The Uttar Pradesh Congress is confronted with this issue

after a clash at its state headquarters

on October 11 eclipsed the official

takeover by newly appointed state

president Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’.

A senior party official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that the clash

between the supporters of outgoing state president Ajay Rai

and the associates of Congress

leader Mamta Chaudhary transformed what was intended to signify the beginning of a new organizational

era into a visible exhibition of conflict. “Supporters reportedly threw shoes, traded insults, and high-ranking

officials needed to step in to restore

order. The event has sparked doubts about

whether the leadership changes revealed by the Congress high command on October 2 will lead to unity within the organization or if rival

factions will persist in sabotaging the party's attempts to regenerate itself before the 2027 Assembly elections.

The Congress must thoughtfully reflect on the

incident that occurred in Lucknow,” he added.

He emphasized that internal conflicts ought to

be settled through discussion instead of public confrontations, underscoring the significance of democratic decorum in political entities. Conflicts may

arise, but it's better

to share perspectives on the platform instead of engaging in arguments like this… I denounce this, he stated.

He criticized the Congress for selecting Aradhana Mishra as the Uttar

Pradesh Congress president and Imran Masood as the working president. “The Congress has appointed a new state president and promoted a new working president.” However, the main question troubling party

members persists - “Why is there a working

president in UP Congress?” he

remarked and continued, “The need

for a working president is warranted when the UPCC chief is elderly, incapacitated, or in the hospital.” None of these three conditions are connected to the new UPCC chief, Aradhana Mishra Mona.

She is relatively young and energetic.

He also doubted the support network of the new UPCC leader and her father Pramod Tiwari beyond their stronghold – Rampur

Khas. He asserted that both the father and daughter will be restricted to a single assembly seat during the

campaign, making it a challenging endeavor for the Grand Old Party to utilize

them throughout the state.

At his request for confidentiality, he described

how situations worsened due to the abrupt ousting

of ex-UPCC chief Ajay Rai, who, as

he stated, was not asked for his resignation and was unexpectedly replaced by Aradhana Mishra 'Mona.'

Accounts from party workers indicated

that Rai appeared quite distressed by the event and initially opted to exit the headquarters without taking part in

the official handover ceremony.

Congress leader

Pramod Tiwari clasped

his hands to

calm former UP

Congress chief Ajay

Rai during heightened

tensions at the

party office in

Lucknow, encouraging him to be present at the ceremony transferring responsibility

to Aradhana Mishra.

After Tiwari's intervention,

Congress MP Imran Masood and incoming

president Mona, Rai returned to the venue and

officially transferred duties to his successor.

Notably, despite Rai's involvement in the handover, he was noticeably missing when Mona later

held her inaugural press conference as UP Congress

president.

He stated that Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ took

over as UPCC chief on October 11 hastily, in the absence of the party’s UP general secretary. He asserted that

occurrences of violence and mistreatment convey a

negative message to the public and

overshadow the party's electoral chances in the forthcoming UP Assembly elections.

He stated that the party leadership has

formed a high-level committee to investigate

the matter under the former UPCC chief

Brijlal Khabar and requested a report

by October 20. Humiliated might be pressured by his backers to exit the party for dignity and better opportunities. In the meantime, he concluded by boosting the morale of party workers and expressing their concerns about the future of

the Grand Old Party in the largest state, which plays a crucial role in achieving electoral

success on the path to Delhi.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi