Congress names Aradhana Misra Uttar Pradesh unit president

The Congress has appointed Aradhana Misra as president of its Uttar Pradesh unit, replacing Ajay Rai, and named Saharanpur MP Imran Masood as working president in a reshuffle that also included senior party and legislature posts. The appointments were announced on October 2, according to party notifications described in reports. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad as senior vice-presidents of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Chaudhary Virendra Singh was appointed leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state Assembly, a role Misra had held. Rai had led the state unit since August 2023. Misra represents Rampur Khas in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and has won the seat three times, according to the reports. She is the daughter of senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari. Masood represents Saharanpur in the Lok Sabha and won the constituency in 2024. The appointments place leaders from several communities in senior state roles. Misra is Brahmin, Masood is Muslim, Nishad is from the Nishad community, and Prasad is Dalit, according to the reporting.