After directly interacting with students in Kota, Rajasthan, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha **Rahul Gandhi** will now visit Uttar Pradesh. Under Congress's " Chhatron Ki Goonj" (Students' Echo)," initiative in Kota, Rahul Gandhi held direct discussions with students.
A similar program will now be organized in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. To mobilize students and youth for this special rally, scheduled for the second week of July, Congress has announced a large-scale outreach campaign starting from **25 June 2026**.
Congress has entrusted the responsibility for this campaign to **Anil Yadav**, General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, who will oversee the student program in Prayagraj. In addition, he has been given responsibility for monitoring the month-long student-focused campaign. Issues such as paper leaks, delays in recruitment, unemployment, and lack of quality education will be at the center of the campaign.
Congress leaders say that party workers will organize street-corner meetings, street plays, leaflet distribution drives, torch marches, and meetings with students, teachers, and members of civil society throughout Prayagraj. A missed-call campaign is also being launched through which students can connect with these programs.
According to Anil Yadav, “Prayagraj has historically been a center of student politics, and Rahul Gandhi is effectively raising students’ issues and concerns.” Party leaders say the objective of the campaign is to make students' grievances part of a broader political discourse. The campaign will involve not only Congress-affiliated student activists but also members of other organizations and former student union leaders. Congress is planning similar programs in Patna and Delhi as well.
Over the next 15 days, the campaign will visit various campuses and engage with candidates preparing for competitive examinations, launching a major political movement around issues such as paper leaks, recruitment delays, and delays in examinations. Although the date of Rahul Gandhi’s Prayagraj event has not yet been announced, preparations are reportedly being made to organize it in a format similar to the Kota program.
Congress’s outreach to students comes at a time when student protests related to competitive examinations have been ongoing in Uttar Pradesh. In recent months, candidates have taken to the streets alleging irregularities in examinations, demanding re-examinations in some cases, and protesting against the non-disclosure of answer keys and evaluation processes. Delays in recruitment and concerns over vacant government positions have also emerged as major issues in student movements across the state.
Congress’s decision to choose Prayagraj for student dialogue is being seen as a carefully planned political strategy. Besides being one of Uttar Pradesh’s largest educational hubs, Prayagraj has long been a center of student politics. Several recent protests related to examinations and recruitment received significant support from students in the city.
Congress leaders and workers say the party is trying to highlight growing frustration among young people, particularly those preparing for competitive examinations, who have been affected by paper leaks, cancelled exams, recruitment delays, re-examinations, and debates surrounding reservations. Through "Chhatron Ki Goonj" (Students' Echo), the party hopes to position itself as a platform for raising these concerns while also expanding its reach among first-time and young voters.
Through these student programs, Congress hopes to further strengthen its electoral position in the Prayagraj region. **Ujjwal Raman Singh** of Congress is currently the Member of Parliament from Allahabad. His victory in the 2024 elections gave the party an opportunity to re-establish itself in a city that has historically had deep political ties with the Nehru-Gandhi family.
