M A I N   N E W S

Cong to put in place 3 zonal heads to assist PPCC chief
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, March 19
The Congress high command is in the process of appointing three zonal heads for the Majha, Doaba and Malwa regions on the basis of caste combinations to assist newly appointed Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa.

The party top brass has zeroed in on OP Soni (Majha), Tarlochan Soondh (Doaba) and Gurpreet Singh Kangar (Malwa) for the job. They might even be given the nomenclature of working president. Since Malwa constitutes the major chunk of Assembly constituencies, the party is likely to appoint another zonal head for this region. Various names, including those from the backward caste community, are under consideration. Party sources said Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was behind this move and he had personally met the three leaders several times in the last three months before finalising their names.

The party, however, is yet to issue a formal order in this regard.

Sources said the party was going by caste combinations while selecting the zonal heads. The idea is to get all dominant castes under the Congress banner in the run up to the General Election. In the Majha region, the PCC president already represents the dominant ‘jat’ peasantry. So, the party has decided to propel Amritsar (Central) legislator OP Soni as the Hindu face of the party. Soni has been chosen for the job due to his popularity and electoral successes. Soni had lost the last Lok Sabha elections by a narrow margin.

In Malwa, Gurpreet Kangar, who is seen as a “fighter”, is set to be picked by Team Rahul. Kangar, who was brought into the Congress by former PCC president Capt Amarinder Singh, is among those who made inroads for the Congress in the Akali heartland. When asked, Kangar said: “I am hearing about it, but cannot say anything yet. I haven’t received any official word”.

In the NRI-dominant Doaba belt, the party has decided to pick a Dalit leader to revive its fortunes. Till now, the Dalit face of the party in the region was former minister Choundary Jagjit Singh.

Though PCC president Partap Bajwa officially said he wasn’t aware of the development, sources revealed that Bajwa had been sounded off and he wasn’t averse to the appointments.