Ahead Of Polls Congress Makes Major Organisational Changes In Rajasthan

The Congress on Monday effected a major rejig in its Rajasthan unit ahead of the Assembly polls, appointing 21 vice presidents, a treasure, 48 general secretaries, one general secretary organization, 121 secretaries and 25 district presidents.

Jitendra Singh, Naseem Akhtar Insaf, Kailash Meena, Rajkumar Jaypal and Darshan Singh are among the 21 newly appointed vice-presidents.

Lalit Tunwal has been appointed as general secretary organization of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee while Sitaram Agarwal was named the treasurer.

Some of the newly appointed vice presidents, including Gajraj Khatana Hakam Ali, and general secretaries, including Prashant Bairwa, Rakesh Pareek, Indraj Gurjar and Mukesh Bhakar, are sitting MLAs.

District presidents of Banswara, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner Rural, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaipur City, Jaipur Rural, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Kota City, Kota Rural, Pratapgarh, Pali, Sirohi, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Udaipur city and Udaipur Rural have also been appointed.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra shared the list on Twitter and congratulated the newly appointed office-bearers of the party's state unit.

"I have full faith that all of you will strengthen the Congress organization and set new records in the state," he said.

The appointments have been made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, according to a statement by the party.

The organisational shake-up came days after Mr Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Randhawa, Dotasra, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot along with several MLAs and ministers from the state attended a polls strategy meeting at the Congress headquarters here.

Mr Gehlot, who is recovering from injuries to his toes, attended the meeting via video conference. Following the meeting, the Congress had asserted that it can win the Rajasthan assembly elections provided there is unity and warned of strict action against those not maintaining discipline and speaking outside the party forum.

The party also indicated that it may not declare a chief ministerial face for the polls due later this year.

In an interview with PTI, Pilot on Saturday made it clear that he has buried the hatchet with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on the advice of party president Kharge, saying collective leadership was the "only way" forward going into the assembly polls.

He had said Mr Kharge advised him to "forgive and forget" and move forward. "It was as much an advice as a directive." 

Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party's state unit president and deputy chief minister.

Last year, an attempt by the high command to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan failed after Mr Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place.

In April, Pilot had defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Mr Gehlot over his "inaction" on alleged corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)