After poll debacle, Sonia Gandhi asks Congress chiefs of 5 states to resign

The CWC, in its marathon meeting, had asked the Congress president to initiate necessary changes in the organisation in order to strengthen it

Projecting a ‘serious in business’ face after a disastrous poll outing, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday initiated organisational changes as mandated by the party’s Working Committee by asking party presidents in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur – where the party performed badly to resign.

However, the hours preceding Sonia’s decision witnessed further rumblings over electoral debacle as party’s Uttarakhand face Harish Rawat seeking his own expulsion after a party colleague accused him of selling seats, and some candidates in Punjab blaming Charanjit Singh Channi for the defeat and openly supporting state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The decision was made public by party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala even as General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi held a brainstorming session in Delhi on the way forward in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in-charge Harish Chaudhury met candidates in Chandigarh to find out where they went wrong. Sidhu and UP chief Ajay Kumar Lallu attended these meetings.

Also read: Accused of selling Congress tickets, Harish Rawat seeks his own expulsion from party

Besides Sidhu and Lallu, the other presidents who have been asked to quit to “facilitate reorganisation of Pradesh Congress Committees” are Ganesh Godhiyal (Uttarakhand), Girish Chodankar (Goa) and N Loken Singh (Manipur).

In Sunday’s meeting, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had “unanimously reaffirmed its faith” in Sonia’s leadership and requested her to “lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges".

Soon after Sonia's direction, Godiyal "took moral responsibility" for the defeat and submitted his resignation. "I wanted to resign on the result day itself but stayed on waiting for the order from the High command. After reaching Delhi today, as soon as I came to know that the accountable office bearers of all other states, where the elections did not get the expected success, were resigning from their posts, I have also submitted my resignation," he tweeted.

Sidhu was appointed as Punjab Congress chief in July last year after removing Amarinder Singh as state Chief Minister, while Godiyal and Loken Singh were appointed before the Assembly polls. Chodankar had quit as Goa chief soon after 2019 Lok Sabha where the party could not win but was asked to continue.

Earlier in the day, Harish Rawat was upset over his once close aide Ranjeet Rawat accusing him of selling tickets. Ranjeet rose in rebellion after Harish Rawat was announced as a candidate from Ramnagar, which he had an eye on, and this led to change in the latter’s seat.

Earlier in the day, Harish Rawat was upset over his once close aide Ranjeet Rawat accusing him of selling tickets. Ranjeet rose in rebellion after Harish Rawat was announced as a candidate from Ramnagar, which he had an eye on, and this led to change in the latter’s seat.

"Accusations of selling tickets and posts are very serious and if those are being made on a person who has been a Chief Minister, General Secretary and also a member of the CWC, it is a serious matter. Those who make these allegations also hold important posts in the party. It is being spread by supporters of a person who holds a very important seat. I pray that the Congress expels me in light of this accusation," he said. The festival of Holi is an apt occasion to "get rid of evil and evil like Harish Rawat should also be burned during Holika 'Dahan'," he added.

In Chandigarh, Gurpreet Singh said Channi was the "only reason" for the party's defeat, as people "did not like him as the Chief Minister face at all".

"Had (Navjot) Sidhu been announced as the Chief Minister, we would have won at least 50 seats," he said, a day after senior leader Sunil Jakhar targeted Channi while calling him a liability whose "greed pulled the party down".

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