'Will Strengthen Alliance With Samajwadi Party': New UP Congress Chief Aradhana Misra

The Congress party appointed Aradhana Misra Mona as the new president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee on October 2, 2026. Imran Masood, a Lok Sabha member from Saharanpur, was designated as the Working President, while Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad were named Senior Vice-Presidents. Mona succeeded Ajay Rai, who served as the State head for more than three years.

Mona, a three-time MLA from Rampur Khas Assembly seat in Pratapgarh district, is the daughter of senior Congress leader and Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari. The appointment, made months before Assembly polls, is seen as an effort to form a social coalition of Brahmin, Muslim, and Dalit communities, as Mona and Masood come from Brahmin and Muslim backgrounds, respectively.

Praised for her contributions, Ajay Rai was succeeded by Chaudhary Virendra Singh as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Uttar Pradesh. Masood, who won the Saharanpur seat in 2024 by a margin of over 60,000 votes, is considered a prominent Muslim leader from Western Uttar Pradesh. The move is believed to signal the party's intention to revive its traditional Brahmin-Muslim-Dalit alliance, which historically provided it with political gains for decades.

Both Mona and Masood are influential figures in their respective communities, with a Scheduled Caste member leading the party and a cordial relationship between Mona and her father with the Samajwadi Party. Political analyst Asad Rizvi stated that this appointment will facilitate seat-sharing and smooth functioning of the SP-Congress alliance.