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Subhash Chopra appointed Delhi Cong president, Kirti Azad to lead campaign committee
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
Subhash Chopra, a three-time MLA from Kalkaji and a former Delhi Assembly speaker, was appointed the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday. The post was vacant since Sheila Dikshit’s death on July 20. The party also named Kirti Azad, a former BJP MP who joined the Congress in February this year, as the campaign committee chief for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
Chopra’s appointment ended months of speculation as the party did not name the successor to Dikshit, who was appointed the DPCC chief ahead of the last Lok Sabha elections.
“We will have to work very hard in Delhi. Our focus will be the welfare of the people. The politics in Delhi has been ruined by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). People know that it was under the Congress government that the city got the Metro, 24x7 power supply and a strong public bus network,” said Chopra after his appointment.
Chopra, 72, has been associated with the party since his student days (1970-71). He has held various posts in Delhi Congress, including the state unit president in 1999 when Sheila Dikshit gave up the position after becoming the chief minister in her first term.
Chopra was first elected to the Assembly from Kalkaji constituency in 1998. He won the seat in 2003 and 2008. In 2013, Chopra lost to BJP’s Harmeet Singh Kalka.
The party incharge for Delhi PC Chacko said Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi decided the name of Chopra after discussion with local leaders. “She (Gandhi) came to the conclusion after serious discussions and deliberations. I am sure Subhash Chopra ji will lead the party to the top. He faces the huge task of reviving the Congress in Delhi and we assure him all the support,” Chacko said.
Azad, cricketer-turned-politician, had represented Darbhanga (Bihar) parliamentary constituency thrice and also been an MLA from Delhi’s Gole Market constituency. Azad comes from the Purvanchal region and may help the party win support of the natives of the region who hold a major sway in Delhi politics.
