New Delhi, December 19
Eleven days after losing four state elections, the Congress today kicked off a major organisational reshuffle replacing the state chiefs of Delhi and Chhattisgarh, where it had to bite dust. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which it lost to the BJP, the Congress is working to find suitable replacements of leadership in the Congress Legislature Party and at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) level.
In the first phase of revamp, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today appointed Arvinder Singh Lovely, a four-time Sikh MLA and former urban development minister in the Sheila Dikshit government, as the New Delhi State Congress chief. He replaces four-time Lok Sabha MP Jai Prakash Agarwal accused of not backing Sheila enough in the recent elections.
In Chhattisgarh, where the Congress lost narrowly to the incumbent BJP, the party has appointed MLA and former state minister Bhupesh Baghel, an OBC, in place of three-time Lok Sabha member Charan Das Mahant to head Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee.
In the next Lok Sabha elections, the Congress hopes to cash in on the 52 per cent OBC population in Chhattisgarh of which 26 pc is of Kurmis — a class to which Baghel
belongs.
At present, the Congress has only one out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh.
Baghel is considered an aggressive leader who has challenged CM Raman Singh in courts for his alleged involvement in scams. Baghel has been elected from Patan Assembly segment in Durg parliamentary constituency though he earlier lost LS elections from Durg in 2004 and Raipur in 2009.
New PCC and Congress Legislature Party chiefs will also be installed in Rajasthan and MP post the resignations of respective state chiefs Chandra Bhan and Kanti Lal Bhuria. Sonia and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had both hinted at massive organisational changes while reacting to the recent poll drubbing. These changes, some even in the AICC, will happen ahead of the January 17 AICC session.
Organisational revamp is also due in Haryana where Sirsa MP and former Youth Congress chief Ashok Tanwar will replace Phool Chand Mullana as state party chief. Tanwar, a Dalit, is Sonia and Rahul’s choice in the faction-ridden Haryana. The Tribune was the first to report that Tanwar was a front runner for the post -- a decision sealed after the Jind rally of Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, who hails from the anti-Chief Minister camp. Tanwar’s appointment will be done soon.
In Delhi, Lovely has his task cut out -- to rejuvenate demoralised Congress cadres after party’s worst-ever poll performance reducing it to 8 MLAs (from 43) in the 70-member assembly, meaning thereby that the Congress is not even an Opposition in Delhi assembly.
The bigger challenge for Lovely is Lok Sabha polls. Though the Congress currently holds all seven LS segments of Delhi, most of its candidates in state elections lost badly from all, including segments held by party stalwarts like general secretary Ajay Makan, Law Minister Kapil Sibal, and Women Minister Krishna Tirath.
Appointment of 46-year-old Lovely indicates Congress’ preference for younger leaders. Lovely is also expected to consolidate Sikh votes which number around seven lakh.
