Congress picks Aradhana Mishra as UP chief ahead of polls, Imran Masood working president

Congress has appointed Rampur Khas MLA Aradhana Mishra Mona as the new president of its Uttar Pradesh unit. The move replaces Ajay Rai and marks a leadership change ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections

In Short

• Aradhana Mishra Mona appointed UP Congress chief ahead of Assembly polls
• Saharanpur MP Imran Masood named UPCC working president
• Mona, a three-time MLA and prominent Brahmin face, replaces Ajay Rai

The Congress on Friday appointed Aradhana Mishra Mona as the new president of its Uttar Pradesh unit as the party recalibrates its organisation months ahead of the state Assembly elections.

Mona, 52, is a three-time MLA from Rampur Khas and has served as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. A prominent Brahmin face in the party, she replaces Ajay Rai as the state Congress chief.

The party also appointed Saharanpur MP Imran Masood, a prominent Muslim leader with a strong base in western UP, as the working president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), with immediate effect.

Apart from Mishra and Masood, the Congress appointed Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad as senior vice presidents of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. The party also named Chaudhary Virendra Singh as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Uttar Pradesh.

The changes come at a time when the party is seeking to rebuild its organisational presence in a state where it has been a marginal electoral force in recent years.

WHO IS ARADHANA MISHRA?

Aradhana Mishra, also known as Mona Mishra, is the daughter of veteran Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, a Rajya Sabha MP. She has served as the party's CLP leader in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

A three-term MLA, Mishra is well-versed in Uttar Pradesh politics and has taken forward the political legacy of her father, who represented Rampur Khas as an MLA for nine consecutive terms before moving to Delhi and entering the Rajya Sabha.

The Tiwari family has held sway over the Rampur Khas constituency in Pratapgarh for 47 consecutive years. Mishra has been active in politics for more than two decades and is considered close to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She also worked extensively with Priyanka Gandhi during the party's 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' campaign.

The organisational overhaul indicates Congress's attempt to give the party a broader social and regional spread ahead of the polls.

With prominent Brahmin and Muslim faces, along with Devinder Nishad, an OBC leader and Alok Prasad, an SC face, the combination is significant in a state where caste and community representation remain central to electoral mobilisation.

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