Amid organisational overhaul, Haryana Congress likely to announce new district chiefs by July-end

Indian Express

a day ago

The Congress's Haryana leadership is eagerly awaiting the party high command's final nod for the candidates who shall be appointed as the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents across Haryana as part of its 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (organisational rejuvenation campaign)'.
'We shall announce the district Congress chiefs by the end of July. The panels from all the districts have been received. Discussions are going on. A few of the districts have only sent two-three eligible candidates, while others have sent five-six eligible candidates per district,' B K Hariprasad, the Congress's Haryana in-charge, told The Indian Express.
On the eligibility criteria for the post of district Congress president, former Rajya Sabha MP Hariprasad said, 'The DCC chief should have worked in the party for at least five years and should be in the age group of 35-55 years. These two are the primary factors. Caste factor and suitability of the candidate in each district will also be taken into consideration.'
Observers appointed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), who travelled across the state to collect feedback, have prepared panels comprising at least six eligible candidates in each of Haryana's 22 districts and sent them to the party high command. But the total number of district presidents may exceed 22, Hariprasad said.
'Ambala may have three district presidents, one each for cantonment, urban and rural. Similarly, a few other districts are also likely to have more than one district president, one each for urban and rural, depending upon the population and geographical dynamics of that particular district,' the Haryana party in-charge said.
The eligible candidates, according to the party sources, have already undergone interview sessions handled by the AICC observers. The interviews focused on candidates' ideologies, strategies against the BJP and RSS, factional unity, representation of minority communities and women in key roles, and grassroots outreach in their respective districts.
For over a decade, the Congress has not had an organisational setup at the district and block levels in Haryana. This exercise to appoint DCC chiefs is a first for the party; earlier, district presidents would be appointed by the Haryana Congress chief in consultation with the state Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader.
Party sources said while finalising the district presidents, the party high command is keeping two major factors – caste and competence – in mind.
'For instance, the Parliamentary constituencies of Ambala and Sirsa are reserved for SCs, thus candidates from the same caste will be given preference in the districts covered by the two constituencies. Similarly, Jat-dominated districts are likely to have Jat candidates, while OBC-dominated districts will have their candidate to represent the party there,' a senior party leader said.
Since Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's visits to Chandigarh in June, his first after the Congress's debacle in the 2024 Assembly elections, the party has been undergoing an organisational overhaul.
The party's senior leaders, however, told The Indian Express that although they are expecting 'a visible restructuring of the party', they added 'it is yet to be seen what comes out'. 'So far, (the party high command) has not gotten in touch with us… It will be good if the party high command actually comes out with a democratically selected lineup in Haryana', a senior leader said.
The DCC chiefs, who themselves will be ineligible to contest elections unless they relinquish their posts at least a year-and-a-half prior to a poll, will also have a say in the distribution of tickets in future elections, with the next Lok Sabha and Assembly polls to be held in 2029.