CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Congress was all set to make the much-awaited appointment of district presidents after a wait of 11 years with the central observers to submit the names with the party high command on Monday.
The central observers appointed by senior party leader Rahul Gandhi were tasked with selecting candidates under the party’s “Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan” . The party sources said that the observers will submit their reports to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Monday.
A senior Haryana Congress leader confirmed that the final appointments are likely to be announced within the next couple of days, with each district’s shortlist containing at least three names and the final decision will be taken by the selection panel of the AICC.
The appointment process initiated by senior leader Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the party’s state headquarters, marks a critical step in revitalizing the Congress in Haryana, where it has faced four consecutive Assembly election defeats since 2009. The process, designed to ensure transparency and impartiality, has been carefully structured to exclude senior state leaders from the interview stage to avoid factionalism and bias.
Interviews were already conducted at the Congress headquarters and applicants had gon through a rigorous questioning on their political strategies-especially plans to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the grassroots level. Observers also inquired about their understanding of the party’s 2024 Assembly election loss, despite public dissatisfaction with the ruling BJP and quick plans to revive the party in the state which once remained Congress stronghold.
An aspirant told that the observers also asked for the organizational formulas to strengthen the Congress in their respective districts and, in some cases, their opinions on alternative candidates for the district president role.
Sources indicate that the central observers are shortlisting panels of six names per district, which will be further narrowed down to three after consultations with state leadership. The final panels will be submitted to the AICC for approval.
Since the Congress party was going through perhaps the worst ever leadership crises in Haryana-thanks to the internal bickering at the top level. this meticulous process reflects the party’s intent to build a new local leadership structure free from the influence of existing power groups, which have often fueled internal rivalries.
Even the district-level meetings of observers witnessed heated arguments and disagreements among local leaders- prompting the party high command to exercise take more steps for the centralized control over the selection process.
Political observers suggest that the outcome of this exercise with fair selection may help for the party’s revival in Haryana, where internal factionalism has long hindered its poll prospects.
It is expected that the after the appointments of the district presidents the state may also get a news president of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and appointment of leader of opposition in the state assembly which was stalled since October last year.
