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Chavan, Wasnik among 5 Cong leaders named zonal observers in Gujarat
The appointment of zonal observers comes shortly after the Congress announced its fourth list of nine candidates for the Gujarat polls
The Congress on Monday appointed 42 party leaders as observers for the Gujarat elections including five senior leaders who have been assigned overall responsibility for the state’s four zones.
“The AICC has deputed the following senior leaders of the party as zonal, Lok Sabha and other observers for the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections 2022 with immediate effect,” a statement by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said.
The five senior leaders named as zonal observers are former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, former social justice minister and party general secretary Mukul Wasnik, national spokesperson Mohan Prakash, and former Karnataka MP BK Hariprasad and former minister KH Muniappa.
Chavan was among the 23 leaders, popularly called G23, who had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 to seek organisational reforms. These leaders put their weight behind Mallikarjun Kharge in last month’s organisation polls and were among those who formally proposed his name. Chavan was also in action when Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo yatra was in Maharashtra’s Nanded.
Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik is already a member of the Congress task force for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has been associated with the party’s ‘Parivartan Sankalp’ yatra in Gujarat.
Mukul Wasnik will oversee the South Gujarat zone and will be headquartered in Surat, Mohan Prakash will be based out of Rajkot for the Saurashtra zone, Chavan in Baroda for the Central zone and BK Hariprasad in Ahmedabad for the North zone
The appointment of zonal observers comes shortly after the INC announced its fourth list of nine candidates for the Gujarat polls. The list of candidates released includes Mansinh Dodiya from Talala, Mahesh Makwana from Kodinar SC, Malubhai Kandoria from Dwarka, and Revatsinh Gohil from Bhavnagar Rural.
In its manifesto, the Congress has made 11 key promises including giving one million jobs, LPG cylinders at ₹500, and free health cover of up to ₹10 lakh. The Congress has also announced farm loan waivers of up to ₹3 lakh.
Nearly 4.9 million people across 182 constituencies will vote in two phases in assembly elections in Gujarat on December 1 and 5 in a contest where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seeks to emerge as the third force in the state’s traditionally bipolar polity.
