New Delhi: Cong. Plans Big PCC, AICC Shake-up
The exercise is aimed at filling vacancies created by resignations, electoral setbacks and organisational adjustments: Report
NEW DELHI: The Congress is preparing for another round of changes in its leadership structure as part of a wide-ranging organisational overhaul. A reshuffle of at least half a dozen Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) and a majority of AICC secretaries, general secretaries and state in-charges is expected in the coming days.
The exercise is aimed at filling vacancies created by resignations, electoral setbacks and organisational adjustments.
According to party sources, the issue was discussed recently by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. The immediate priority is to strengthen state leadership in poll-bound states before finalising changes among AICC general secretaries and state in-charges.
The Congress is focusing on Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, where Assembly elections are due early next year, followed by Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later in 2027. Except in Punjab, where it faces the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress is locked in a direct contest with the BJP in these states. The party is currently in power in Himachal Pradesh.
Punjab is among the states where a change in the Pradesh Congress Committee president is under active consideration, sources said. The leadership is reviewing the state’s organisational structure after several rounds of consultations.
Political speculation is also gathering pace in Rajasthan, where PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra is set to complete six years in office next month. Party leaders said discussions over a leadership change have intensified in recent weeks, with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, currently in charge of Chhattisgarh, emerging as the frontrunner in internal discussions and social media campaigns. Rajasthan in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa is likely to be shifted as Punjab polls are approaching. If Pilot is made RPCC chief, the post of Chhattisgarh in-charge will fall vacant.
In Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress is allied with the Samajwadi Party to take on the BJP, caste representation has become a key consideration. Until recently, state in-charge Avinash Pande, PCC chief Ajay Rai and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra all belonged to upper castes. Pande was replaced on Friday by Rajendra Pal Gautam, a Dalit leader. Party insiders said the leadership is considering appointing an OBC leader either as PCC president or to another key organisational post to broaden its voter outreach.
Further leadership changes in the Delhi and Madhya Pradesh units are also under consideration. Party sources said the leadership is weighing the elevation of some state unit presidents to key national roles while identifying new faces to head crucial state units.
Alongside changes in state leadership, the Congress is expected to reshuffle several AICC general secretaries and state in-charges. Delhi in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin may be relieved of his organisational responsibilities to focus on Uttarakhand, while Mukul Wasnik may be shifted from Gujarat and Rajni Patil from Himachal Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh in-charge Manickam Tagore was appointed Tamil Nadu Congress president on Saturday.
The latest exercise follows a series of vacancies created in recent months. Party insiders said the leadership is also reviewing the performance of in-charges in states where friction with state units has persisted.
