In a major embarrassment for Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, Congress general secretary-incharge of Haryana, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said that the state election planning and management committee (EPMC) constituted by Tanwar has not been approved by the party high command.
“Such committees are constituted by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and not by state party presidents. This EPMC constituted is neither approved by us nor accepted,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad while talking to the mediapersons in New Delhi,
Tanwar had on Friday announced the constitution of EPMC for upcoming Haryana Assembly elections and had convened its first meeting on July 8 in New Delhi.
On invitation given by Tanwar to the senior party leaders to become member of this committee, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that AICC constitutes such committees after having discussion with everyone… But this committee is made while sitting at home. So it is not accepted, he added
Notably, Sudesh Aggarwal, former national president of Smast Bhartiya Party that was merged with the Congress in March was appointed as the convener of the EPMC by Tanwar.
The state party chief had also claimed that he had sent invitations to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CLP Leader Kiran Choudhry, former Union Minister Kumari Selja, MLAs Randeep Surjewala and Kuldeep Bishnoi and former Minister Capt. Ajay Singh Yadav to become members of the EPMC.
At a press conference held here on Friday last, Ashok Tanwar had claimed that he is authorized to constitute such committees at the state level for the upcoming assembly polls. The EPMC will further have sub-committees including manifesto committee, media committee, campaign committee among others, he had said.
The Congress state unit chief had also claimed that he would continue on the top post following the consent of party’s high command.
However, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement on the EPMC has now come as a major setback for Tanwar, who is already facing backlash following party’s humiliating defeat in Haryana in Lok Sabha polls.
Post- Lok Sabha defeat, the factionalism and infighting is raging in the Haryana Congress party unit and may harm the party’s poll prospects in State Assembly polls. The MLAs loyal to former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda have pressed for a leadership change in Haryana and had recently stated to the party high command it’s under Tanwar’s leadership that the Congress has been decimated in Haryana in two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019) and one assembly poll (2014).
In Haryana, there has been no district level or block level committees for last several years while the differences between Ashok Tanwar and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda have come out in the open several times now.
The Congress had scored a duck in Haryana which has 10 Lok Sabha seats. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda had lost the Lok Sabha poll which he contested from Sonepat seat while Ashok Tanwar had also the parliamentary polls from Sirsa (reserved) seat.
The State Assembly elections in Haryana are due to be held in October.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP currently has 48 MLAs while the Congress has 17 MLAs.