Kumari Selja, Abhishek Singhvi made Congress Working Committee members

The Congress has also appointed T Subbarami Reddy, former member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh, as a permanent member of CWC while Ajay Kumar Lallu, former party chief of Uttar Pradesh, has been made a special invitee

Senior Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Abhishek Singhvi were on Thursday inducted into the Congress Working Committee (CWC), party’s top executive body, in its latest rejig.

Abhishek Singhvi’s entry into CWC is seen as a reward for his larger role in the party’ legal and political battles in courts and outside. Kumari Selja has been inducted into CWC after she missed out on a Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana.

The Congress also announced T Subbarami Reddy, former Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, as a permanent invitee to CWC while party’s former Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu has been made a special invitee.

While Selja was given a CWC berth after she missed out on a Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana, Singhvi’s entry into the all-important working committee is seen as a reward for his larger role in the Congress’s legal and political battles in courts and outside.

“Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) has appointed Kumari Selja and Abhishek Manu Singhvi as members of the CWC,” an official communication from the party said.

Singhvi’s elevation comes after Kapil Sibal, another key legal expert of the Congress, left the party and returned to the Rajya Sabha as an independent lawmaker with the help of the Samajwadi Party. For Singhvi, a sitting Rajya Sabha member and chairman of the parliamentary panel on home affairs, entry in CWC was long due and also indicates the larger role he is likely to play on issues such as the National Herald case among others.

Lallu missed out on a Rajya Sabha berth even as three other party leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Rajiv Shukla, Pramod Tiwari and Imran Pratapgarhi got nominated to the Upper House earlier this month from Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra respectively.