Congress set for organisation rejig after Assembly poll results

New Delhi: The Congress is all set to go in for an organisational overhaul after the results of the Assembly elections in five states are out. The party has decided to finally get rid of its “dead wood” and add dynamism to its organisational structure. Two general secretaries of the AICC, Mohan Prakash and C.P. Joshi, are expected to be replaced, and office bearer Madhusudan Mistry, presently incharge of the Central Election Committee, could also be dropped.

The imminent change has been in the pipeline for a long time. The Congress feels it has to get into battle mode for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as soon as possible. After March, there is a hiatus in Assembly elections till December, when Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat goe to polls. 

Currently, Mohan Prakash is in charge of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, while C.P. Joshi looks after West Bengal, Assam and the North-Eastern states. Mr Prakash is embroiled in a constant disagreement with former Union minister and senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat, who publicly complained about him. While under the watch of Mr Joshi, the entire Congress in Arunachal Pradesh defected.

The Congress is keen on having new faces as in charge of states.

Also in the pipeline is a coordination committee, which will be a mixture of both young and old. Young leaders like Lok Sabha MPs Jyotiraditya Scindhia, Deependra Hooda, K.C. Venugopal and former Union minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh are expected to be part of this committee. This committee would articulate the party’s position on various issues and also take important political calls.

Priyanka Gandhi played a key role in sewing up the alliance in Uttar Pradesh with the Samajwadi Party. She is actively involved in backroom politics and is a regular at the Congress war room at Gurudwara Rakabganj Road in Delhi. There are also chances that she may be inducted into the organisation, but a final call on this would be taken by the Congress high command.

The demand for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to take charge of the party is also gathering momentum. 

Especially at a time when the Election Commission has rejected the Congress party’s request to extend the party elections. The Election Commission has written to the Congress to complete intra-party elections by June 30.

In the last working committee meeting of the Congress, senior members, led by former Union minister A.K. Antony, urged Mr Gandhi to take over the reigns of the party. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is slowly moving into the position of party patron, while Rahul Gandhi is at the forefront. She did not take part in any election rallies in Punjab and Goa. She is also unlikely to campaign in Uttarkhand, though she may travel to Uttar Pradesh.

Keeping the 2019 general elections in mind, the Congress wants to get in shape and have a well-oiled party organisation to take on the BJP. In the coming months, there can also be changes in state units as and when need arises.