The Congress has reshuffled its leadership in two key states, naming Aradhana Misra ‘Mona’ as the new Uttar Pradesh Congress chief and former India hockey captain Pargat Singh as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. The changes come months before the 2027 Assembly elections and mark a fresh organisational push in both states.
Misra, a three-time MLA from Rampur Khas in Pratapgarh, replaces Ajay Rai as president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. She had been serving as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Her appointment was accompanied by a wider reshuffle of the state unit, with Saharanpur MP Imran Masood named working president.
The Congress has also appointed Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad as senior vice-presidents of the Uttar Pradesh unit. Chaudhary Virendra Singh, MLA from Pharenda, has been named the new Congress Legislature Party leader, taking over the position previously held by Misra.
The changes give the Uttar Pradesh Congress leadership a broader social and regional representation. Misra is a prominent Brahmin leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh, while Masood is a Muslim leader from western Uttar Pradesh. Nishad brings an OBC representation and Prasad is a Dalit leader. The composition has been viewed by political observers as part of the Congress’s effort to widen its organisational reach ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Misra, the daughter of veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari, has spent more than two decades in active politics. She has represented Rampur Khas in the state Assembly and previously worked as the Congress Legislature Party leader. The constituency has been associated with the Tiwari family for decades, giving her an established political base in the state.
Speaking after her appointment, Misra thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for placing their trust in her. She said she belonged to the fourth generation of her family in the Congress and promised to carry out her new responsibility with dedication and honesty.
The new Uttar Pradesh Congress chief also spoke about the party’s approach to the 2027 elections, saying the INDIA bloc would contest the polls with full strength and vigour. She added that decisions on the alliance’s electoral strategy would be taken by its top leadership.
The Uttar Pradesh leadership change also brings an end to Ajay Rai’s tenure as state Congress president, a position he had held since August 2023. The Congress formally acknowledged his contribution while announcing the new appointments.
Punjab saw a separate but equally significant change. Pargat Singh, the Jalandhar Cantonment MLA and former India hockey captain, has been appointed president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The appointment followed Warring’s resignation from the post on Friday.
Warring met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and formally submitted his resignation. He had led the Punjab Congress since April 2022. His departure came after months of differences within the state unit, with disagreements among senior leaders becoming increasingly visible ahead of the next Assembly election.
Pargat Singh brings a different political profile to the Punjab Congress. Before entering politics, he was one of India’s best-known hockey players and captained the national team. He later entered electoral politics and has represented Jalandhar Cantonment in the Punjab Assembly since 2012. He also served as a cabinet minister in the Charanjit Singh Channi government.
Singh joined the Congress in 2016 after beginning his political career with the Shiromani Akali Dal. He won the Jalandhar Cantonment seat on a Congress ticket in 2017 and retained it in 2022. He currently also serves as an AICC secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir.
His appointment comes at a time when the Punjab Congress is preparing for the 2027 Assembly election while dealing with internal differences. Warring’s resignation followed an organisational review involving the party’s Punjab leadership. Sachin Pilot was appointed AICC in-charge of Punjab in September, replacing Bhupesh Baghel.
The Congress has said its existing election-related committees in Punjab will continue in their current roles despite the change at the top. That means the immediate focus will be on strengthening coordination within the state unit while preparing the organisation for the next electoral contest.
Taken together, the appointments in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab point to a broader Congress effort to settle state-level leadership before the 2027 election cycle gathers pace. Both states are politically significant, but the organisational challenges are different.
In Uttar Pradesh, the party is reorganising its state team around a new president, a working president and a wider group of senior office-bearers. In Punjab, the immediate task is to manage a leadership transition following Warring’s resignation and place the state unit under a new chief.
The two appointments also bring leaders with distinct political backgrounds into prominent state roles. Misra comes with legislative experience and a long association with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, while Singh brings a combination of political experience and a high-profile sporting career.
With the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, both leaders now have to translate their appointments into functioning state organisations, coordinate with senior leaders and prepare their respective units for the electoral battles ahead.
