Lucknow, 2 April (HS): The Congress may still have a long journey ahead before it can reclaim its lost glory in the Nehru-Gandhi bastion, but it has begun hectic preparations for the polls to secure victory in the prestigious Prayagraj parliamentary seat - a seat once represented by Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and most recently his daughter and BJP MP Dr. Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
Interestingly, Shekhar Bahuguna, a veteran Congress politician, was appointed to the UP Congress Party's Political Affairs Committee. Raj Babbar, Supriya Srinate, Imran Pratapgarhi, Imran Kidwai, Nadeem Javed, Yogesh Dixit, and Manoj Tyagi were among those included on the list provided by the national general secretary (organization), KC Venugopal.
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna has contributed significantly to the development of Prayagraj district, as has the capacity to bring various people together. Yeh Bahugunaji ki dharti hai (This is Bahugunaji's land), and no party can ignore him or repeatedly invoke his name to gain an advantage over their opponents. I recall when people used to just mail their request on a post card to Bahugunaji in Delhi (Bahuguna also handled numerous ministries at the Centre), and he would get the work done, said a Congress leader while remarking on the Grand Old Party's effort to resuscitate itself and emerge like a Phoenix from the ashes in Uttar Pradesh.
“The man, who had a tumultuous relationship with Congress' top leadership in the 1970s and 1980s, is credited with giving Prayagraj several things, including canals with lift pumps for irrigation and promoting IFFCO, the name associated with fertiliser production,” he remarked. He also mentioned before signing off that he was one of the last leader in Allahabad to be able to bring together all segments of society. Meanwhile, sources say the attempt is intended to recapture Bahuguna's legacy at a time when suspicions abound that the BJP may replace current Prayagraj MP Dr. MM Joshi.
Interestingly, Ujjwal Raman Singh, a minister in the Samajwadi Party and the son of legendary SP politician Kunwar Revati Raman Singh, has joined the Congress. Prayagraj's seat is reserved for the Congress party by arrangement. As a result, Ujjwal Raman will run in the Prayagraj elections for the Congress.
Avinash Pandey, Congress state in-charge, and Ajay Rai, state president, granted him membership. According to Avinash Pandey, the Nehru family's hometown was Prayagraj. The arrival of Ujjwal Raman from that location is critical for the party. His entry will invigorate the cadre. He spent a lengthy period in SP. He plans to run against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Ajay Rai, Congress state president, stated that the party has become stronger after the entrance of Ujjwal Raman. “With Cong-SP, elections will be fought strongly in the entire state,” he added.
MLA Aradhana Mishra Mona said that a new chapter will be written in Prayagraj under the alliance. Ujjwal Raman said that the Constitution is in danger. “Democracy is in danger. We are all united to oppose BJP.
Ujjwal Raman is going to contest from Prayagraj Lok Sabha constituency on the basis of the consent of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other senior party leaders and SP President Akhilesh Yadav. Efforts will be made to win Prayagraj seat with record number of votes.
Ujjwal Raman's father Revathi Raman, born in Baraon village of Prayagraj, had left Karchana seat after becoming MP. Due to this, Ujjwal became MLA from Karchana assembly seat for the first time. Since Mulayam Singh Yadav was in power at that time, he also served as the Environment Minister in the state and launched Compressed Natural Gas in Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur. He also served as the Chairman of 'Seed Development Corporation'.
After this, he was again elected as MLA from Karchana in the 2017 assembly elections. His victory was significant for his party as he was the only candidate from the Samajwadi Party to win in Allahabad and surrounding constituencies.
Hindusthan Samachar/Abhishek Awasthi
