CHANDIGARH: Despite the tall claims of a fair selection process of district presidents in Haryana Congress, several aspirants were actively lobbying in Delhi to stake their claims.
With the All India Congress Committee’s central observers have already submitted the proposed names of at least six people from one district, party’s top leadership is expected to release the long-awaited list of district presidents as the appointments were stalled for the past 11 years.
However, senior party leader Rahul Ganhdi had repeatedly asserted that the appointments will be fair and as per the recommendation of the Central Observers. But, sources said, some some senior leaders from the state were camping in Delhi and lobbying for the appointment of their supporters. There are also reports that some senior leaders from the Haryana Congress have expressed displeasure over the working of the central observers alleging that they were not given a patient hearing when the finalizing the panels and now they were seeking a meeting with the senior party leaders to raise their concerns.
Even, the party leaders have already fixed the number of seats of district presidents for SC, OBC and Women candidates but the Congress’s Scheduled Caste (SC) Department in Haryana, led by state chief Manoj Bagri, in a media interaction has raised strong demands for greater representation of marginalized communities within the party’s organizational framework. “Our SC workers must get their due place in the organization,” said Bagri, who reportedly met party’s National SC Department president Rajendra Pal Gautam and senior Congress leaders.
Sources said the leadership is also weighing potential names for the posts of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President and Congress Legislative Party leader in the state amid growing demands to resolve internal factionalism and empower committed party workers.
The district level panels have already sent the names of shortlisted candidates to the party high command on Monday but the names of proposed candidates were not disclosed to anyone.
As per the internal Congress sources each district panel include six names, with caste and regional balance being key considerations. Also each panel includes at least one woman to ensure gender representation. It is learnt that the final list of the district presidents will be declared by the Congress party soon.
The need for a revamp intensified after the party’s unexpected defeat in the 2024 polls the Congress, managed to win only 37 seats against the BJP’s 48. Analysts and insiders blamed internal rifts, factional mismanagement, and the sidelining of local voices as key reasons for the setback forcing the party high command for an overhauling in the state unit with the appointments of district presidents.
