Hectic lobbying on for posts of district Congress president

Days after the Congress high command directed state party leaders to bury their differences, the ongoing exercise to shortlist 29 district Congress presidents is witnessing hectic lobbying by warring factions.

Twenty-nine observers, including MPs, former Union ministers and former state unit presidents, have been appointed by the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) to solicit feedback from party rank and file.

According to party sources, the observers have been asked to keep various factors like OBCs and minorities besides regional factors in mind while shortlisting a panel of three to four candidates for each district.

While the group led by state Congress chief Amrinder Raja Warring and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa was keen on pushing the name of their candidates, the other faction including former CM Charanjit Channi, Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjeet and Khushaldeep Dhillon are ensuring that their chosen ones also apply.

A senior leader said the role of the district presidents would be crucial in recommending the name of the candidates in the 2027 Assembly elections.

In Ludhiana, Warring’s differences with former state Congress working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu are likely to stiffen competition.

Compared to Ludhiana, the situation is so far easier for Warring in his home district Muktsar.

From Jalandhar Rural, Rana Gurjeet Singh’’s confidant and Shahkot MLA Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia has forwarded his claim.

Bajwa, on the other hand, is learnt to be backing Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary.

In Kapurthala district, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira and Phagwara MLA Balwinder Dhaliwal are in favour of ex-MLA Navtej Cheema as the new DCC chief while their stark opponent Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh is yet to open his cards. In Hoshiarpur, Daljit Gilzan and Vishwanath Bunty have staked claim for the post.

Earlier, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) used to send a list of district unit chiefs to the party high command for approval.

Now district presidents will directly give feedback to the party high command under the new initiative — “Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan”.

Meanwhile, former minister and Raja Sansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria has been made the in-charge for the Tarn Taran bypolls. The poll panel is yet to announce the schedule for the contest.