Subhash Chawla took over as the new president of the Chandigarh Congress at a function held at Congress Bhawan in Sector 35 here on Sunday.
Chawla, who was appointed the new president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTC) on February 9, replaced Pradeep Chhabra, who held the post for around six years.
Eying the MC elections due later this year, Chawla, a two-time mayor himself, asked the party workers to dedicate themselves towards winning on the line with the Punjab MC elections.
“People who will work hard for the party will get the party’s support for the MC elections regardless of their seniority level,” Chawla said.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and in-charge of Punjab and Chandigarh Congress, Harish Rawat, former Union minister and AICC treasurer Pawan Bansal, Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, Chandigarh councillors and outgoing Chandigarh Congress president Pardeep Chhabra were present on the occasion.
‘Take everyone along’
Pawan Bansal while advising Chawla said, “Now you have the responsibility to win the upcoming MC elections and for this, you have to take everyone along.”
In his address, Rawat said the performance of Congress in Punjab municipal elections should be repeated in Chandigarh as well. He asked Chawla to appoint the office-bearers of the local body in the next 15 days of the district and block levels within 25 days, and strengthen the party at the booth-level in the next two months.
{{/usCountry}}In his address, Rawat said the performance of Congress in Punjab municipal elections should be repeated in Chandigarh as well. He asked Chawla to appoint the office-bearers of the local body in the next 15 days of the district and block levels within 25 days, and strengthen the party at the booth-level in the next two months.
{{/usCountry}}In his address, Sidhu said the success achieved by the Congress in the Punjab civic body elections would be repeated in Chandigarh. Chhabra said that with blessings of the party leadership, he had been strengthening the party for six years and would continue to fight for its benefit.
A section of the party workers were, however, peeved when the Facebook live feed of the ceremony went silent while Chhabra was addressing the gathering. Chawla’s appointment has not gone down well with a section of Congress workers and there are concerns of internal party fissures coming out in the open, sources within the party said.