Congress begins reviving Haryana district units amid factionalism

New Delhi: Defunct for almost 12 years, Congress has started the process to set up district committees in Haryana, where the party is facing intense factionalism with the leadership unable to appoint a Leader of Opposition even seven months after the Assembly elections.

On Sunday, the party announced 21 AICC Observers for holding interactions with leaders and workers in districts to prepare a short list. However, the party is yet to name state observers. As per the plan, an AICC Observer will be deputed for every district and will be assisted by 3-4 PCC Observers.

Former Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thalore, Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore, senior MPs Amar Singh, GC Chandrasekhar and Varsha Gaikwad, former Youth Congress president BV Srinivas and Joint Treasurer Vijay Singla are among the AICC Observers.

The party has started a new mechanism to choose District Congress Committee presidents in which the central leadership collects information from districts to choose its president, who will be given unprecedented powers. The exercise was first held in Gujarat, where observers have submitted their reports to the central leadership.

Sources said the party is likely to announce district presidents for Gujarat very soon. The party has also initiated the process for Madhya Pradesh by announcing 50 AICC Observers, including senior leaders Saptagiri Ulaka, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Gurdeep Sappal, Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Ajoy Kumar.

In Haryana, the district committees were disbanded around 12 years ago and the leaders have been complaining that it has negatively impacted the party’s prospects in the last Assembly elections. While the party was perceived to have the edge, it could not surpass the BJP for the third consecutive Assembly election despite a better show in Lok Sabha polls.

Leadership is also upset with the intense factionalism in the Haryana unit with groups led by Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala remaining at loggerheads. Congress also could not do better in municipal elections earlier this year.

The factionalism is at such a high that the leadership has not been able to zero in on the legislature party leader, who will be the Leader of Opposition, since October last year, after the Assembly polls. Former Chief Minister Hooda is unwilling to give the post to a rival camp nominee.

Hooda camp claims that it has the support of 32 MLAs as against the rest five who are against the former Chief Minister and aligned with Selja and Surjewala. The party leadership would also have to find a successor to Haryana Congress chief Uday Bhan, who is a Hooda supporter.

Sources indicated that the adamant stand by factions on the legislature party leader and state president have delayed the decisions.