Pramod Tiwari may be named new UPCC chief
Insiders say present state Congress chief Babbar may contest LS polls from Mumbai North
PRAYAGRAJ : In view of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a major reshuffle in the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) is likely to be announced soon, party leaders said. According to insiders, nine-time MLA from Rampur Khas assembly constituency in Pratapgarh district and former Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari is likely to be named the next UPCC president. They said present UP Congress chief Raj Babbar might contest Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency which is presently represented by Poonam Mahajan of BJP.
PRAYAGRAJ:In view of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a major reshuffle in the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) is likely to be announced soon, party leaders said.
According to insiders, ninetime MLA from Rampur Khas assembly constituency in Pratapgarh district and former Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari is likely to be named the next UPCC president.
They said present UP Congress chief Raj Babbar might contest Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency which is presently represented
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Tiwari’s name was unanimously finalised in view of his political achievements and respect in party cadre
A CONGRESS LEADER
by Poonam Mahajan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said in a meeting attended by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh in Delhi, it was decided that the party’s Brahmin face Pramod Tiwari would spearhead Congress’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in UP.
The leader claimed that while Tiwari was Sonia’s choice, Rahul backed the candidature of Jitin Prasada or RPN Singh.
“However, Tiwari’s name was unanimously finalised in view of his political achievements and respect in party cadre,” he added. Talking to HT from Kedarnath over the phone, Tiwari said he had no knowledge of the party’s decision to make him new UPCC chief.
“I have no information about any such decision. I am on a religious tour to Kedarnath. Raj Babbar is handling things in UP very well. As of now, I know the party has decided to divide UP in four equal zones for better penetration to grass roots voter base and Babbar would be heading the four acting presidents,” he added.
“I will surely take up the responsibility if the party feels me fit for it. However, I am not interested in the first place as Babbar is handling things well,” he said.
According to party leaders, UPCC is set to undergo major structural changes with not only a new chief but four acting presidents. The move is aimed at tapping votes from all sections of the society.
The four names doing rounds for the post of acting presidents include former party MP from Bahraich Zaffar Ali Naqvi, former party MLA from Mirzapur Bhagwat Chaudhary, former union minister Jitin Prasada and former Jhansi MP Ranjeet Singh Judeo.