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| Cong leadership talks to CMs, state leaders before revamp | | | Agencies
NEW DELHI , June 21: A decision on change of guard in Assam, Maharashtra and Haryana is expected soon with Congress leadership today holding parleys with Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana as the party prepares for a massive organisational rejig.
The day was marked by hectic consultations as Congress debated the pros and cons of replacing its chief ministers in order to beat the anti-incumbency mood in some states and save the party from breaking up in others.
The humiliating defeat suffered by the party in LokSabha polls, where it could get only 44 seats in the 543-member Lower House, has prompted the exercise. While Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana are scheduled this year end, the party is grappling with dissidence in Assam.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had a 30-minute meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. His Maharashtra counterpart PrithvirajChavan met party veteran A K Antony and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel.
Following that meeting, sources close to Hooda as well as the AICC general secretary in-charge for the state, Shakeel Ahmed, ruled out any likelihood of a change of guard there.
Two Maharashtra leaders ShivajraoDeshmukh and ShivajiraoMoghe met the Congress President at her 10 Janpath residence here. Moghe later also met Antony.
Deshmukh, who is the Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council, is a four-time MLA and has been MLC twice. Moghe is currently the minister of Social Justice in Maharashtra Cabinet.
The talk about a change of guard in Maharashtra gained currency after Antony and Patel met NCP chief SharadPawar at his residence on Thursday night, where the issue was discussed threadbare.
Party sources have maintained that in case a final decision to replace Chavan is taken, party veterans A K Antony and GhulamNabi Azad could go to Maharashtra as observers. Antony was also the AICC in-charge of Maharashtra some time back.
Congress could win only two and it ally NCP just four of the 48 LokSabha seats in Maharashtra this time.
Besides Shinde, the names of state ministers BalaSahebThorat and RadhakrishnaVikhePatil are doing the rounds as successor to incumbent PrithvirajChavan.
While Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana are scheduled at the year-end, Congress is grappling with dissidence in Assam, whose Chief Minister TarunGogoi will arrive here tomorrow.
In Haryana, the party could win only one of the ten LokSabha seats. The Chief Minister's son DeepinderHooda was the sole Congress candidate to win a LokSabha seat from the state. There were voices against the style of functioning of Hooda in the Haryana unit of the Congress with former Union Minister KumariSelja saying that the Chief Minister should have at least offered to resign following the party's poor show in the LokSabha polls.
The party also plans to replace PCC chiefs in ten states including Uttar Pradesh.
"A decision on changes of Chief Ministers in these states will be taken shortly and the first decision could be made as early as next week," the leader said.
At a meeting of the Congress Working Committee last month, the party had authorised Sonia Gandhi to effect the necessary organisational changes.
The sources that former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is among one of the contenders for the PCC chief in Maharashtra.
The major shakeup is expected to give a new look to the party in the states besides acting as a buffer against the anti-incumbency factor in these states. It is also expected to bring a semblance of unity in the faction ridden state units.
Congress is, however, treading cautiously in deciding their successors.
"We are looking for change of Chief Ministers in three states. But it is not necessary that we change all the three. At this stage, there is no finality," a leader had earlier said.
The party is also mulling a shake-up in its units 8 to 10 states including Uttar Pradesh, where the PCC chief can be replaced.
While Assembly elections in Assam are scheduled in 2016, the term of Haryana Assembly expires in October and that of Maharashtra in December this year.
Congress leadership has been under pressure to replace Assam Chief Minister TarunGogoi for a long time as rebellion has mounted in the state unit, more so after the poor show of Congress in the LokSabha polls.
Congress had managed to win only three of the 14 seats in Assam which was much below the party's expectations.
Since there are no early elections in Assam, the leadership views that if a change has to take place, it should be done now so that there is enough time for the new leadership in the state to prepare and perform in the Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, amid indications that he might be replaced, Assam Chief Minister TarunGogoi today said, "I won't say yes, I won't say no," when asked if such a development was in the offing.
"It is going to be a High Command decision only. I am going to Delhi tomorrow. We have a meeting with the High Command on Monday," Gogoi said in Guwahati. Senior minister from Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma was also likely to meet top Congress leadership, party leaders said. They said Assam could be the first state where a change of guard can take place followed by Maharashtra.
Addressing a press conference along with Deepender Hooda, Haryana PCC chief Ashok Tanwar said, "I reiterate what the general secretary has said" when asked whether there was a possibility of a change of guard in Haryana.
Talking to PTI, AICC general secretary in-charge for Haryana, Shakeel Ahmed, had earlier said, "Change of leadership either at PCC level or CLP level is not under consideration."
A section within the party believes that a decision on Haryana could be difficult as the state was headed for polls later this year and the time for effecting a change is short. |
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