SUMMARY

As parties begin positioning themselves for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress leader Rajendra Pal Gautam has said the party wants an equal share in any seat-sharing arrangement. Speaking on the alliance question in Uttar Pradesh, Gautam said Congress, as a national party, should be given equal respect and equity within the alliance framework.

Referring to discussions with the Samajwadi Party, Gautam said the final decision on seat sharing would be taken by the top leadership of both parties. He said, “We are a national party, we should have an equal share. The whole nation looks towards Congress. We strengthen the INDIA alliance, and there should be equal respect and equity. The top leadership of both parties will sit and decide. The fight will be equal.”

Before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress made a major organisational change in the state and appointed Rajendra Pal Gautam as its new in-charge, replacing Avinash Pande. Since taking charge, Gautam has appeared active and has also spoken about the alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

On the alliance with the SP, Gautam said the entire decision would be taken by the party high command. He also said that within a month, the party would build its organisation down to the village level. He said regional parties would have to unite to strengthen the INDIA alliance and should not remain divided into fragments.

Gautam also said he would tour the whole of Uttar Pradesh and work to strengthen the organisation. He said factionalism in the Uttar Pradesh Congress would be ended and made it clear that internal groupism would be dealt with. His remarks have drawn attention in political circles.

After being appointed as the new Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Gautam said on Friday, 26 June, that he would try to live up to the trust reposed in him by the party leadership and would work to remove what he described as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘anti-Bahujan government’ from the state. He also thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi.

Gautam, who comes from the Dalit community, was given charge of Uttar Pradesh months before the Assembly elections in the state. He had served as a minister in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi and joined the Congress in September 2024. A few months later, he was made chairman of the party’s Scheduled Caste Department.

Replacing Avinash Pande as Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Gautam said his objective was to strengthen the Congress again in the state under the leadership of Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and to work towards removing the BJP government. He also claimed that the Bahujan community in the state was looking at Rahul Gandhi as its leader. 

Published on: Jun 27, 2026 2:08 PM IST