Rajasthan Congress gets new working committee with dominance of CM Ashok Gehlot’s faction

In a major reshuffle and expansion in the ruling Congress in Rajasthan, a new working committee was formed with the appointment of a large number of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s supporters as office-bearers

In a major reshuffle and expansion in the ruling Congress in Rajasthan, 21 vice-presidents, one treasurer, 48 general secretaries, one general secretary (organisation), 121 secretaries and 25 district presidents were appointed late on Monday. The new working committee has a mix of supporters of all senior leaders of the party.

The appointment of a large number of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s supporters as office-bearers of the executive as well as the district presidents indicated to the dominance of the faction led by him. Though the supporters of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra were also given space, their number was lesser than those of Mr. Gehlot’s loyalists.

Jitendra Singh, Naseem Akhtar Insaf, Kailash Meena, Rajkumar Jaipal and Darshan Singh were among the 21 newly-appointed vice-presidents of the party’s State unit. Lalit Tunwal was appointed general secretary (organisation), while Sita Ram Agarwal was named the treasurer.

A statement by the Congress said party president Mallikarjun Kharge had made the appointments following the strategy meeting on election preparedness in Rajasthan held in New Delhi on July 6. The Congress had asserted after the meeting that it could win the Assembly election if there was unity in the party’s rank and file and warned of action against those not maintaining discipline.

There is no Minister in the new executive, with the Congress adhering to the principle of one-person, one-post. About 15% positions have been given to women, as only 29 women have been accommodated in the 192-member working committee. There was no woman among the 25 district presidents appointed in the reorganisation.

The Pradesh Congress Committee’s executive as well as the district units were dissolved in July 2020 following the rebellion staged by Mr. Pilot and 18 MLAs supporting him. Thirteen district presidents and 39 office-bearers of the State executive were later appointed in December 2021, but any further expansion was put on hold amid the tussle between the factions led by Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Pilot.

Mr. Dotasra said here on Tuesday that the ruling party’s newly constituted working committee was “balanced” in terms of representation of all sections and affirmed that the party would remain united in the run-up to the Assembly election.