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India’s ruling Congress party names new presidents in 3 states
India’s Congress party reshuffles leadership ahead of fast approaching general elections
New Delhi: India’s ruling Congress party on Monday named three new state unit presidents in its bid to revamp the party ahead of fast approaching general elections.
The three states to get new chiefs are Kerala, West Bengal and Haryana. With this latest round of changes, the party has so far named new state unit presidents in seven states ever since it’s below par performance in the December assembly elections in five states.
V.M. Sudheeran was named president of the Kerala Pradesh (state) Congress Committee in place of Ramesh Chennithala who was recently appointed as a cabinet minister in the Oommen Chandy-led government. V.D. Satheeshan was named as vice-president, giving him the number two position in the state unit.
Ashok Tanwar was named president of the Haryana unit in place of Phool Chand Mullana, while federal junior minister for railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury replaced Pradeep Bhattacharya as the new president of the West Bengal unit.
The entire exercise is being seen as part of the preparations for the crucial Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May this year, in which the Congress party will seek a third straight term.
The party had named Arvinder Singh Lovely and Bhupesh Baghel as presidents of Delhi and Chhattisgarh units soon after December state polls, followed by appointments of Sachin Pilot and Arun Yadav as presidents of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh units respectively last month.
The Congress party came up with embarrassing performances in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and failed to dislodge rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Chhattisgarh.
Among the three states to get new party presidents, Kerala and Haryana are ruled by the Congress party while it has to revamp itself in West Bengal after the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee snapped ties with it in the state.
The list of new state unit chiefs was released by the national general secretary Janardan Dwivedi on behalf of the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi. However, the new faces are seen as having the imprint of Sonia’s son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi who is working towards making the party attractive to the youth.
V.D. Satheeshan was national secretary of the party and is seen as being close to Rahul. Ashok Tanwar, who represents Sirsa constituency in the Lok Sabha, is also a close associate of Rahul. Tanwar had in the past worked as national presidents of the students and youth wings of the party.
The messages are loud and clear. Rahul Gandhi seems to have decided to bypass recommendations of state chief ministers indirectly indicating that he is in the process of grooming younger and new leaders in the states.
Both Kerala chief minister Chandy and his new home minister Chennithala were pressing for appointment of G. Karthikeyan, the Kerala state assembly speaker, as state unit chief.
Rahul, however, ignored them by appointing Sudheeran and Satheeshan as president and vice president in the southern state.
Tanwar’s appointment as Haryana unit chief will come as a rude shock for state chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, considering Mullana is a close aide who had let Hooda run the state unit via proxy. This had resulted in growth of dissent in the state unit. Hooda received a shock when Kumari Selja was named as the party candidate for Rajya Sabha from Haryana without consulting Hooda. Selja quit as the federal minister and is member of the outgoing Lok Sabha. She was among the dissidents talking openly against Hooda’s alleged autocratic rule.
Selja’s elevation is being seen as a notice to Hooda to act fast before she is projected in place of Hooda as Haryana’s chief ministerial candidate during October 2014 state polls.
Interestingly both Selja and Tanwar are Dalits (lower caste Hindus) and the party through them could be trying to appease scheduled caste voters in the Hindi-speaking states.
Chowdhury’s appointment as president of the West Bengal unit has ended all speculation about the Congress party seeking a pre-poll alliance with the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress as Chowdhury is seen as a staunch critic of state chief minister Mamata Banerjee. With his appointment, the party will now eye to break into Banerjee’s Muslim vote stronghold.
Rahul Gandhi has virtually been running the show since he was elevated as the vice-president a year back and is unnamed prime ministerial candidate of the Congress party.
India’s ruling Congress party names new presidents in 3 states | GulfNews.com
India’s Congress party reshuffles leadership ahead of fast approaching general elections
New Delhi: India’s ruling Congress party on Monday named three new state unit presidents in its bid to revamp the party ahead of fast approaching general elections.
The three states to get new chiefs are Kerala, West Bengal and Haryana. With this latest round of changes, the party has so far named new state unit presidents in seven states ever since it’s below par performance in the December assembly elections in five states.
V.M. Sudheeran was named president of the Kerala Pradesh (state) Congress Committee in place of Ramesh Chennithala who was recently appointed as a cabinet minister in the Oommen Chandy-led government. V.D. Satheeshan was named as vice-president, giving him the number two position in the state unit.
Ashok Tanwar was named president of the Haryana unit in place of Phool Chand Mullana, while federal junior minister for railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury replaced Pradeep Bhattacharya as the new president of the West Bengal unit.
The entire exercise is being seen as part of the preparations for the crucial Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May this year, in which the Congress party will seek a third straight term.
The party had named Arvinder Singh Lovely and Bhupesh Baghel as presidents of Delhi and Chhattisgarh units soon after December state polls, followed by appointments of Sachin Pilot and Arun Yadav as presidents of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh units respectively last month.
The Congress party came up with embarrassing performances in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and failed to dislodge rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Chhattisgarh.
Among the three states to get new party presidents, Kerala and Haryana are ruled by the Congress party while it has to revamp itself in West Bengal after the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee snapped ties with it in the state.
The list of new state unit chiefs was released by the national general secretary Janardan Dwivedi on behalf of the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi. However, the new faces are seen as having the imprint of Sonia’s son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi who is working towards making the party attractive to the youth.
V.D. Satheeshan was national secretary of the party and is seen as being close to Rahul. Ashok Tanwar, who represents Sirsa constituency in the Lok Sabha, is also a close associate of Rahul. Tanwar had in the past worked as national presidents of the students and youth wings of the party.
The messages are loud and clear. Rahul Gandhi seems to have decided to bypass recommendations of state chief ministers indirectly indicating that he is in the process of grooming younger and new leaders in the states.
Both Kerala chief minister Chandy and his new home minister Chennithala were pressing for appointment of G. Karthikeyan, the Kerala state assembly speaker, as state unit chief.
Rahul, however, ignored them by appointing Sudheeran and Satheeshan as president and vice president in the southern state.
Tanwar’s appointment as Haryana unit chief will come as a rude shock for state chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, considering Mullana is a close aide who had let Hooda run the state unit via proxy. This had resulted in growth of dissent in the state unit. Hooda received a shock when Kumari Selja was named as the party candidate for Rajya Sabha from Haryana without consulting Hooda. Selja quit as the federal minister and is member of the outgoing Lok Sabha. She was among the dissidents talking openly against Hooda’s alleged autocratic rule.
Selja’s elevation is being seen as a notice to Hooda to act fast before she is projected in place of Hooda as Haryana’s chief ministerial candidate during October 2014 state polls.
Interestingly both Selja and Tanwar are Dalits (lower caste Hindus) and the party through them could be trying to appease scheduled caste voters in the Hindi-speaking states.
Chowdhury’s appointment as president of the West Bengal unit has ended all speculation about the Congress party seeking a pre-poll alliance with the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress as Chowdhury is seen as a staunch critic of state chief minister Mamata Banerjee. With his appointment, the party will now eye to break into Banerjee’s Muslim vote stronghold.
Rahul Gandhi has virtually been running the show since he was elevated as the vice-president a year back and is unnamed prime ministerial candidate of the Congress party.
India’s ruling Congress party names new presidents in 3 states | GulfNews.com
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