English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest Politics News

Congress leadership crisis – several of the younger office bearers resign

Published

7 years ago

on

Congress leadership crisis – several of the younger office bearers resign

If many felt that Rahul Gandhi – or his family – was the problem with Congress, his decision to step down as party president and ruling out choosing any from his family as successor has not helped matters so far either.

Rahul is adamant on his decision to take responsibility for party’s poll debacle and quit and his comment that other party leaders have not stepped forward to own responsibility led to several young office-bearers of the party and its frontal organisations resigning in solidarity with Rahul, to mount pressure on the elders.

The young leaders want Rahul to continue as the Congress president. This is touted as younger vs old tussle in the party, but that is only as far as age is concerned. The culture remains the same: stick with The Family.

At least one AICC general secretary, Madhya Pradesh in-charge Deepak Babaria, and one state Congress president, Goa’s Girish Chodankar, resigned hours after some 300 young leaders — most of them in their 40s — converged at the Congress headquarters today (Saturday, June 29) in the first such show of solidarity with Rahul, said media reports.

Yesterday, several Congress office-bearers resigned after MP Vivek Tankha quit on Thursday as the chairman of the party’s legal and human rights cell and urged others to follow suit to give a free hand to Rahul Gandhi to restructure the party at all levels.

The mass resignations followed a six-hour-long meeting of former Youth Congress office bearers who have since been elevated to various positions in the party. As many as 373 Congress functionaries participated in the meeting, reported The Hindu. Their main demand is that the present Congress Working Committee (CWC) must be disbanded and that the Pradesh Congress Committee Presidents of the 17 States where the party failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat should step down.

This group of younger functionaries are also hoping that the mass resignations would convince Rahul Gandhi to return. After almost a month of refusing to meet any senior leaders, Gandhi met leaders from four poll-bound States on Thursday and Friday.

The move is seen as a challenge to the old guard and a pressure tactic to push for the implementation of Rahul’s plan of fixing accountability. The list of resignees includes four All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries — Virender Vashisht, Secretary Overseas; Anil Chaudhary, Odisha in-charge; Virender Rathore, Bihar in-charge; and Rajesh Dharmani, Uttarakhand in-charge. Goa State unit President Girish Chodankar, Delhi Working President Rajesh Lilothia and Telangana Working President Ponnam Prabhakar were also among those who resigned.

The number of resignees is expected to swell in the coming days.

A bigger meeting has been planned for July 2, when Congress office bearers from across the country are expected to reach Delhi.

Also Read: Rajasthan police file chargesheet against mob lynching victim Pehlu Khan

“The people who are responsible for the Lok Sabha debacle should take the onus instead of blaming Rahul Gandhi alone,” AICC secretary and Bihar in-charge Virender Rathore told The Hindu. “Mr Gandhi has fought single-handedly against Narendra Modi and the BJP machinery,” he added.

The rallying cry of Friday’s meeting was that Gandhi was let down by the “old guard” and that he needed to return. “It’s not just the Congress, the country needs him,” asserted Virender Vashisht, AICC Secretary Overseas. “Our Constitution is in danger and within days of the return of the BJP government, people are being killed in the name of religion; in such a situation we can’t let the party remain in a precarious situation,” he added.

Other resignations too followed in the wake of the meeting of the younger leaders. AICC General Secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Deepak Babaria, who was handpicked by Gandhi for the post, quit. “Why should Mr. Gandhi alone be blamed for the party’s performance, we all should take the responsibility,” Babaria said.

Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha tweeted that the stalemate can’t be allowed to continue for long. “We all should submit our resignations from party positions and give Rahul ji a free hand to choose his team. Party cannot afford a stalemate for too long,” Tankha tweeted, offering his resignation as Chairman of the Law Department of the AICC.

In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath said he had offered to resign from the post of state Congress president after the party’s defeat. “Rahul Gandhi is right… I personally believe that I am responsible… I do not know who else is responsible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rahul on Friday appointed Chhattisgarh MLA Mohan Markam as the head of the party’s Chhattisgarh unit, replacing CM Bhupesh Baghel.

The Congress this week dissolved all district committees of its Uttar Pradesh unit and formed a three-member disciplinary committee to look into acts of gross indiscipline and anti-party activities during the Lok Sabha elections.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

India News

Mamata Banerjee warns BJP, EC over Bengal polls, says they will be accountable

Mamata Banerjee holds BJP and Election Commission responsible for any incidents during Bengal polls, raising concerns over officer transfers.

Published

15 hours ago

on

March 17, 2026

By

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India responsible for any untoward incidents in the state during the upcoming assembly elections, following the transfer of key officials.

Addressing concerns over administrative reshuffles, Banerjee said that changes involving senior bureaucrats, including the chief secretary and home secretary, could affect governance and law and order in the state during a crucial period.

The Trinamool Congress chief also announced candidates for 291 constituencies for the elections scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29.

Criticising the Election Commission, Banerjee alleged that the transfers were being carried out in a manner that benefits the BJP. She questioned the timing of the decisions and said such actions weaken the state administration at a sensitive time.

She further raised concerns about disaster management and essential services, stating that experienced officials familiar with the state’s situation have been replaced. According to her, this could impact administrative efficiency if any emergency arises before the new government is formed.

Protecting Bengal’s identity

Banerjee emphasised that the election is not merely about forming a government but about safeguarding Bengal’s identity and existence. She accused the BJP of misusing central agencies and attempting to influence the electoral process.

She urged that elections should be conducted peacefully, without external interference, and in line with democratic principles. The chief minister also expressed confidence that her party would return to power with a stronger mandate.

Appealing to voters, she called for support for the Trinamool Congress, asserting that the people of Bengal will ultimately decide the outcome and protect their democratic rights.

Continue Reading

India News

Mamata Banerjee writes to poll chief over officers’ reshuffle, calls move arbitrary

Mamata Banerjee has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, calling the reshuffle of senior Bengal officials arbitrary and raising concerns over constitutional norms.

Published

1 day ago

on

March 17, 2026

By

mamta banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising strong objections to the recent reshuffle of senior bureaucrats in the state ahead of the assembly elections.

In her letter, Banerjee described the move by the Election Commission of India as “arbitrary” and expressed “deep concern” over what she termed a unilateral decision. She urged the Commission to refrain from adopting such measures in the future.

The Chief Minister pointed out that while the Election Commission does have the authority to make administrative changes during elections, past practice has involved consultation with the state government. According to her, the Commission would typically seek a panel of officers from the state and make its selections from that list, maintaining what she called constitutional propriety and administrative convention.

Banerjee warned that bypassing this process could undermine the institutional credibility and long-standing legacy of the poll body, and may also affect the foundational principles of the constitutional framework.

The controversy stems from the Commission’s decision, taken soon after announcing election dates, to remove several top officials from election-related duties. These include the state’s Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Kolkata Police Commissioner, and Home Secretary.

The Commission has maintained that the reshuffle was aimed at ensuring a peaceful and violence-free electoral process.

Reacting sharply, Banerjee alleged bias in the decision-making, claiming that the removal of the Chief Secretary indicated an anti-women stance. She also accused the Commission of selectively targeting officers, suggesting that the move favoured individuals aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress escalated its protest, staging a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day.

Responding to the criticism, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Election Commission is a constitutional authority, adding that questioning its decisions in Parliament is inappropriate and unproductive.

The Commission has appointed a new Chief Secretary in place of the outgoing official as part of the reshuffle.

Continue Reading

India News

BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 16, 2026

By

BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com