Poll Debacle: Sonia Appoints Leaders To Assess Situation In 5 States, Suggest Organisational Changes

The party has appointed Rajya Sabha MP Rajani Patil for Goa, Jairam Ramesh for Manipur, Ajay Maken for Punjab, Jitendra Singh for Uttar Pradesh and Avinash Pandey for Uttarakhand.

Poll Debacle: Sonia Appoints Leaders To Assess Situation In 5 States, Suggest Organisational Changes (File Image)

New Delhi: After the debacle in the recently concluded assembly elections in five states, the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appointed leaders to assess the post-poll situation and suggest organisational changes in each state.

The party has appointed Rajya Sabha MP Rajani Patil for Goa, Jairam Ramesh for Manipur, Ajay Maken for Punjab, Jitendra Singh for Uttar Pradesh and Avinash Pandey for Uttarakhand.

Congress has appointed Rajani Patil, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Jitendra Singh and Avinash Pandey, to assess the post-poll situation and suggest organizational changes in the recently concluded poll states. pic.twitter.com/Ywqr98AFEl

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2022

According to a party official, as quoted news agency PTI, "Congress president has appointed leaders to assess the post-poll situation and suggest organisational changes in the states (with inputs) from MLA candidates and important leaders with immediate effect." 

Earlier this week, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) held a meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, in the national capital to discuss the party’s poor performance in the five states, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present in this meeting held at the AICC office in New Delhi.

On Tuesday, Sonia sought the resignation of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.

Taking to Twitter, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi has asked the PCC Presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to put in their resignations in order to facilitate reorganisation of PCCs."

Amid calls for large-scale reforms to revive the party's dwindling electoral fortunes, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said that the Congress president is ready to take corrective measures to revamp and re-strengthen the organisation.

Several party leaders have said that the brainstorming session of CWC for the next three-four days would chalk out the future roadmap and strategy in order to address challenges.

Senior party leader Shashi Tharoor had also batted for reforming the organisational leadership to ‘reignite’ the idea of India.

Notably, Congress scored very poorly in the assembly polls to Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and also lost Punjab, one of the few states that it held, to a relatively new party, AAP, that was only restricted to Delhi till date.