During the appointment ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh Congress’s newly elected state president, Ajay Rai, the Congress attempted to shed its soft Hindutva façade and convey a message of hardcore Hindutva. The inauguration of Ajay Rai’s tenure began with the Ganga Aarti. Throughout the event, chants of “Har Har Mahadev” echoed. A large number of workers were present at the Pradesh Congress office this morning, eagerly awaiting their president. The party left no stone unturned to make the function grand.
Amidst the exuberance of the workers, the leader’s arrival was accompanied by fanfare. Before taking on his new role, Ajay Rai recited traditional verses. Notably, when Ajay Rai began his speech from the podium, he first offered prayers to Lord Ganesha. In some way or another, the Congress is preparing to respond in the same style as the BJP in order to counter them. During his address, Ajay Rai explicitly stated, “I am commencing my work after offering prayers to Lord Ganesha. We stand with the Ganga; our thinking aligns with the spirit of Kashi; and the ideology of Congress is akin to the ideology of Kashi.”
Senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari stated that Ajay Rai, by bridging the gap between workers and leaders, will make this state his own. He also referred to the demise of the NDA coalition, saying it was a message. The excitement among the workers for Ajay Rai’s welcome was so high that at one point there was chaos on the stage, and Ajay Rai had to step forward to address the situation.
It should be noted that recently, Ajay Rai was appointed as the new state president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, replacing Brij Lal Khabri. Before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, several reasons are being attributed to making Ajay Rai the president. Additionally, his appointment is said to focus the party’s attention on Purvanchal. It can be inferred that the Congress places significant importance on Purvanchal since Priyanka Gandhi was given the responsibility of Eastern Uttar Pradesh when she stepped into politics.
Under Congress’s leadership, the alliances formed by opposition parties against the NDA are aligned with Ajay Rai’s agenda. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is allied with the SP and RLDP. While the focus of Congress is on uniting opposition parties in the alliance, it’s also keen on engaging with society on caste and social lines. While SP is looking to capture the OBC vote, Jayant Chaudhary’s party, the RLDP, is targeting the Jat vote in Western UP. Consequently, with the support of Ajay Rai, Congress aims to bring back its traditional vote bank of savarnas (upper castes) and create a strong foothold. Ajay Rai belongs to the Bhumihar community, which holds influence among Brahmins and Rajputs, both significant vote banks for the BJP. Exploiting his social connections, Ajay Rai could attempt to sway the BJP’s traditional vote bank.