The Congress has appointed three-time Rampur Khas MLA Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ as the new President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Ajay Rai.
The organisational reshuffle comes months ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Saharanpur MP Imran Masood is also appointed working president of the state unit. The Congress officially listed both Mishra and Masood in their new organisational roles on October 2.
The change of leadership marks a reorganization of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Mishra was the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state Assembly but now she will head the party’s state unit. Her appointment means that a new leader will chair the Congress Legislature Party in the Assembly.
Who is Aradhana Mishra?
Popularly known as Mona, Aradhana Mishra is a Congress politician from Pratapgarh district. She belongs to Rampur Khas assembly constituency and has won the seat 3 times. She is the daughter of veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari who is associated with Rampur Khas and has a long political history.
Mishra’s electoral journey started with the Rampur Khas by-election in 2014, when her father moved to the Rajya Sabha. She won the constituency and then retained it in the 2017 and 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Her repeated wins have made Rampur Khas her main political base.
Mishra had also been involved in local politics before entering the Assembly, as per reports on her political career. She later became the Congress Legislature Party leader in Uttar Pradesh Assembly and served as Party President of the state Congress until her appointment as president of the Congress.
Her political career has also included working as a visible part of the Congress’ Uttar Pradesh campaign during the 2022 Assembly election. She worked with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the party’s women-focused campaign with the slogan “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon”.
Aradhana Mishra's Electoral Record
Rampur Khas has remained a major constituency in Mishra's political career. In the 2014 by-election, she came to the Assembly for the first time. She then retained the constituency in 2017 and again in 2022.
Mishra defeated BJP candidate Nagesh Pratap Singh in the 2022 election. She secured 84,334 votes, while Singh got 69,593 votes according to election figures cited in reports. It was her third consecutive term as the Rampur Khas MLA.
Her continued representation of the constituency has established her electoral base within Uttar Pradesh Congress politics. She has also been one of the party's most prominent legislators in the state Assembly.
Why Congress has Reshuffled Its UP Leadership
The appointment comes as the Congress prepares for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. In the months leading up to the elections, the party has been reorganising its state-level leadership with Mishra replacing Ajay Rai who had served as UP Congress president since August 2023.
The Congress in turn appoints Imran Masood as its working president. Masood is the Congress MP from Saharanpur and has a political base in western Uttar Pradesh. The reshuffle has brought two top state leaders into the organisation.
Other appointments have also been made as part of the restructuring. Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad have been appointed senior vice presidents, while Virendra Chaudhary has been appointed Congress Legislature Party leader in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly replacing Mishra.
Political analyses of the reshuffle have focused on the social and regional representation in the new leadership structure. The appointments include leaders from different regions and communities of Uttar Pradesh, but how the party's electoral performance will be affected by the campaign and the election results remains to be seen.
Aradhana Mishra's New Role
As the UP Congress chief, Mishra will be responsible for heading the party organisation in India's most populated state. She will coordinate the state unit, strengthen the party's organisational structure and prepare for the 2027 Assembly election.
Her appointment also shifts the leadership of the Congress Legislature Party to Virendra Chaudhary, while Mishra moves into the top organisational position in the state.
The Congress now begins the preparation for Uttar Pradesh under Mishra, with Imran Masood serving as working president and other leaders taking leadership roles. The next months are going to show how the new team will organize its campaign and party machinery for the 2027 Assembly elections.
