UP Congress leaders `cheat` in test conducted to appoint party spokespersons, question paper leaked

LUCKNOW: The Congress party in Uttar Pradesh was left red-faced after its members allegedly cheated in a test conducted to appoint party spokespersons. The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) had on Thursday conducted a test where party members seeking appointment to the post of the spokespersons were made to answer 14 questions. 

The questions that were asked ranged from 'how many blocks are there in Uttar Pradesh' to 'what are the key points of failure of Yogi Adityanath government?' However, soon after the question paper was released, its photos were seen circulated on social media. It is also being said that the Congress leaders took the help of internet in the examination hall to answer the questions. 

Nearly 70 party members took the test and appeared for the interview conducted by the UPCC. The members were reportedly not in the know of any such exam that will be conducted to test their readiness for the post. 

The questions were also aimed at testing how good these candidates were to corner the state government. They were asked questions around the achievements of the previous Manmohan Singh government, three headlines of the day on which Congress spokespersons can issue statements and failures of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. They were also asked why they wanted to become spokespersons.

An overhaul of the state unit of the party is expected ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier this year, the Congress had organised a 'talent hunt' in Madhya Pradesh to find a suitable spokesperson. Online applications were filled and a team from Delhi had been sent to the state to assess the candidates.