Congress puts key OBC, ST faces at Gujarat helm, banks on political families for revival
Chavda, 49, has returned as the state Congress chief after four years, having served in this position during 2018-21.
The former GPCC chief, Shaktisinh Gohil, Rajya Sabha MP, had resigned from his post last month, owning responsibility for the party's debacle in the Assembly bypolls.
Chavda, an OBC leader, is a five-time MLA from Anklav in Anand district, whose grandfather Ishwarbhai Chavda was an MP. He is also the cousin of former GPCC chief and Union Minister Bharatsinh Solanki.
Chavda, who was unavailable for comment, thanked the Congress leadership in a post on X, saying, 'it is a solemn responsibility to fight for every Gujarati and uphold the values the Congress Party stands for. As a devoted soldier of the party, I will work day and night to strengthen
@INCGujarat, fulfil the aspirations of our people, and realise the vision of Rahul Gandhiji'
These appointments came a week after the Congress leadership held meetings and deliberations in this regard. Chavda was among a dozen state Congress leaders who were called by the party high command last week to Delhi, where they attended a crucial meeting held by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with the party's Gujarat in-charge Mukul Wasnik.
Some of the other state party leaders in the reckoning for the two top posts, including Lalji Desai, Geniben Thakor and Paresh Dhanani, were also present in this meeting, among others.
Following Gohil's resignation, Shailesh Parmar, the party MLA from the reserved Danilimda constituency in Ahmedabad city, was handling the GPCC affairs on an interim basis.
The appointments of Chavda and Chaudhary are seen as crucial at this juncture when the Congress is trying hard to reinvent itself and gain ground in Gujarat, where it has been out of power for the last 30 years.
Chaudhary, who is the son of late chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary, told The Indian Express that raising 'public issues' will be his priority while working to strengthen the party.
Chaudhary, who is a first-time MLA from Khedbrahma in north Gujarat, a seat once held by his father, also said: 'We have raised MNREGA (irregularities) issue as a party and I have also raised it in my personal capacity. Now, people have come to know about the (alleged scam) in MGNREGA. We have also been raising the issues in the Nal Se Jal Yojana and it has also come out that there are irregularities in it… So, I will continue to raise issues that directly affect people on the floor of the House, and try to strengthen the party.'
Currently, in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the Congress has only 12 MLAs. The party launched the pilot project of its proposed countrywide 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan' from Gujarat, and recently appointed about 40 new District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents through this process.
Chavda, who holds a diploma in chemical engineering, has also held various positions in several education trusts and cooperative bodies. He also contested, unsuccessfully, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Anand.
A tribal leader, Chaudhary is a former Congress MP from Bardoli, which he retained in 2009, when it was carved from the Mandvi Lok Sabha constituency – a Congress bastion since 1962 that Chaudhary had won in 2004. Bardoli has been held by the BJP since 2014.
When asked about the arrest of Congress vice-president Hira Jotva and his son in the alleged MGNREGA scam in Bharuch district, Chaudhary said, 'Let the truth come out… he is not directly involved in the MGNREGA work.. He had been doing business but stopped in the last ten years. He was our Lok Sabha candidate and also contested the Assembly polls. He is a prominent Ahir leader in Saurashtra and a victim of BJP's vindictive politics.'
Speaking about the tribal districts of Gujarat, Chaudhary said that unemployment and lack of implementation of the Forest Rights Act have been major issues facing the tribals. 'They (tribals) are not able to get their lands and it is an issue… Previously, the Congress party's protests ensured that the Gujarat government had to withdraw its decision to eliminate the management quota scholarship for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, so we will continue to raise such issues in the Assembly.'
Chaudhary also said that with the state's civic body polls slated for next year, he would 'identify issues' facing specific cities with the help of the local party units. He said he would also take up the issues in the House in the larger interest of the urban population, besides looking to improve the Congress's tally in the civic bodies.
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