Congress brass to meet Rajasthan unit today; CWC reshuffle soon
Thursday’s meeting will also set the ground for the reshuffle of the Congress Working Committee, appointment of new state in-charges and reconstitution of some state units, including the Delhi Congress
New Delhi: Top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Rahul Gandhi, will hold a meeting with party’s leadership from poll-bound Rajasthan on Thursday, ahead of the much-awaited reshuffle of the party’s organisation, people familiar with the development said.
Rajasthan is among the five states that will go to assembly elections later this year, along with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Mizoram. The Congress leadership has already held strategy meeting for the other four poll-bound states.
Thursday’s meeting will also set the ground for the reshuffle of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), appointment of new state in-charges and reconstitution of some state units, including the Delhi Congress.
Final touches are being given to the list of new appointees, a senior functionary said. “In the next 7-10 days, the reshuffle will be complete,” the functionary added, requesting anonymity.
Kharge was appointed as the party president in October last year, but the formation of the new CWC and organisational rejig were delayed due to a series of assembly elections, including in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
“The reshuffle is being planned with an eye on the 2024 elections,” a party leader said.
Discussions on the possible reshuffle have been going on for some time. Congress leaders said that Kharge has spoken at length with Rahul Gandhi as well as former party chief Sonia Gandhi on bringing in new faces. In the reshuffle, a brand-new CWC, some new general secretaries and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs will be announced.
Kharge has reached out to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, for a larger role.
“The reshuffle is expected to see a number of new faces. It is necessary to adhere to the party’s new amendment of 50% reservation for dalits and backward classes and also those under 50 [years of age],” another party leader said.
According to the new amendments approved at the last year’s AICC plenary in Raipur, both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be default members of the CWC, which will have 35 members instead of 24. According to the amendments, seats will be divided into three categories: 25% for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 25% for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and minorities, and 50% for general category, to make the party’s highest executive body more inclusive.
Meanwhile, the party leadership’s meeting with the Rajasthan unit will also aim at resolving the ongoing tussle between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, besides taking a stock of poll preparedness.
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