The Congress has dissolved all its district committees in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect, the first in the series of action being taken by the party after its crushing defeat in the national election. The Congress is also setting up a three-member committee to examine complaints of ‘gross indiscipline’ in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a move that is seen to follow up on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s message to party cadre that she will identify those who ‘did not work’ in the Lok Sabha elections.

Moves are also afoot for a major organizational revamp in the state party with Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu being appointed as the party’s in-charge to make organisational changes in east UP for ‘a defined period’ during which the changes will be effected.

“AICC has approved the proposals submitted by general secretaries in-charge for UP east and west,” said AICC general secretary KC Venugopal in a press statement. Both Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotirditya Scindia, general secretary in-charge of UP east and west respectively, had earlier this month held joint and separate meetings with senior party leaders, party’s office bearers, candidates and coordinators for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

After reviewing party’s performance in New Delhi, Priyanka held meetings with party workers of east UP in Rae Bareli on June 12, while Jyotiraditya met party workers of west UP at separate meetings in New Delhi and at Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters here on June 14.

A two-member team will oversee poll preparations and management on the 12 assembly seats where by-elections are due in coming months.

A decision on appointment of Congress’s in-charge for west UP will be taken soon by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (in-charge for west UP) Jyotiraditya Scindia, said Venugopal.

After Priyanka’s entry in politics, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had tasked both Priyanka and Jyotiraditya to build up party organization to ensure that a Congress government was formed in 2022 in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar has already offered to resign owing responsibility for party’s debacle in 2019 polls in the state. A decision about dissolving the Pradesh Congress Committee, however, has not been taken and there are indications that the party may decide to constitute a new committee once the organizational revamp takes shape at the grass roots level.

First Published: Jun 24, 2019 18:48 IST