Congress gets its Assam unit election-ready, carries out massive reshuffle
The elaborate exercise, undertaken after the appointment of Lok Sabha member Gaurav Gogoi as State Congress chief, was also an attempt by the party to project a unified face.
The 19-member PAC is headed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh, and includes party veterans like former State unit chiefs Bhupen Borah and Ripun Borah, Lok Sabha MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain, former Union Ministers Paban Singh Ghatowar and Ranee Narah, as well as Mr. Gogoi and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Debabrata Saikia.
The composition of the PAC and choosing of office-bearers have been made with the aim of reclaiming support among key communities that the party had lost to the BJP since the 2016 Assembly election. With the BJP making a severe dent in Congress's tradtional support base in upper Assam, especially among tea garden tribes and the powerful Ahom community, the Congress has been struggling to recover lost ground in the most crucial region in the State politically.
Therefore, the new appointments seek to address these concerns with 14 new vice-presidents and 33 general secretaries and 35 new District Congress Committee (DCC) chiefs, representing a mix of young leaders and party veterans. While several new faces have been given responsibilities, loyalists like Bipul Gogoi and Rajesh Joshi, among others, have once again found a place in the new Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).
'Hearty congratulations to the newly appointed APCC officials, district presidents, and members of the Political Affairs Committee. Wishing you all a successful tenure,' the official X handle of Assam Congress said in a post with the hashtag #eibarjujeikhonhobo, which roughly translates to 'This time there will be a fight'.
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