The Uttarakhand Congress has begun intensifying preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections, even as it faces internal factionalism, an early contest for party tickets and organisational weaknesses across several constituencies. While the leadership maintains that it is strengthening its grassroots network and preparing to take on the ruling BJP, internal differences continue to pose a significant challenge for the party ahead of the polls. Meanwhile, the Congress has stepped up its mass outreach through state-wide yatras, workers’ meetings and public rallies across the hill and plains regions. The campaign is aimed at energising the party cadre, highlighting governance related issues and positioning the Congress as a strong alternative to the BJP. However, discontent within the state unit has surfaced over the alleged sidelining of senior leaders.
Questions were raised after certain campaign materials reportedly left out prominent figures such as former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya. The episode has revived concerns over factionalism within the state unit and the party’s ability to project a cohesive leadership ahead of the elections. The Congress is also working to address organisational gaps in constituencies where it has lost influential leaders to rival political formations. According to party sources, defections involving prominent local leaders have affected the party’s second-rung leadership in nearly 20 Assembly constituencies. The state unit is now focusing on identifying new local faces and strengthening its organisational machinery at the constituency level. Candidate selection is emerging as another potential flashpoint. In Dehradun, several senior leaders are already lobbying for tickets from key constituencies, despite the elections being some distance away.
The growing pool of aspirants could complicate the ticket distribution process for both the state and central leadership, particularly in seats where multiple leaders have strong local networks and competing claims. Despite these challenges, the Congress is attempting to project itself as being fully geared up for the electoral battle. The party has launched the Parivartan Sankalp Yatra, taking its outreach campaign to various parts of the state. The programme is being led by state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and other senior leaders, with a focus on strengthening the cadre and establishing direct contact with voters. Through the yatras, the party is also raising issues related to governance, employment and development and seeking to build an anti-incumbency narrative against the BJP government.
Congress leaders believe sustained grassroots mobilisation will be essential to rebuilding the organisation and converting voter dissatisfaction, wherever it exists, into electoral support. The central leadership has also increased its engagement with the Uttarakhand unit. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge recently visited Haldwani and Rudrapur, where he addressed party workers and sought to boost their morale ahead of the elections. His visits were aimed at strengthening coordination between the central and state units while projecting the Congress as a united opposition force against the BJP. A political analyst told The Sunday Guardian that the Congress faces the dual challenge of rebuilding its organisational structure while managing factional differences and competing ambitions within the party.
