The newly appointed in-charge of Congress party’s affairs in Punjab, Shakeel Ahmad, is scheduled to visit the State on June 30.
In his first-ever visit to the State after assuming the new assignment almost a week before Ahmad would meet all the party Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of legislative Assembly (MlAs), districts party presidents, and other senior leaders of the party in a high-level meeting to take the stock of party’s position in the State.
His visit, a few days before the Gram Panchayat polls, is considered to be an important development. Gram Panchayat elections are scheduled to be held on July 3 — three days after his scheduled visit.
Some of the legislators, and party leaders, who are engaged with the panchayat polls, have expressed concern over the date of the meeting, and are demanding to fix the date of his visit on any day after elections.
After facing a resounding defeat in the Zila Parishad and Block Samiti elections, held around a month before, the State Congress has not entered the election arena this time with the same enthusiasm as before. It may be because the panchayat elections are not contested on the party tickets, but by the individuals. Even so, some of the party leaders are taking part in the elections to ensure victory to their supporters.
Sources in the party maintained that Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president has already prepared a list of his office bearers and is only required a stamp of approval by the party high command.
It is expected that Bajwa would announce his team any day after Ahmad’s visit on June 30. Nevertheless, the party high command had already appointed four vice-presidents heading three regions of Punjab —MlA Tarlochan Singh Soondh for Doaba, MlA OP Soni for Majha, and MlA Charanjit Singh Channi, and ex-MlA Gurdeep Singh Kangar for Malwa — to assist Bajwa.
Ahmad has been appointed in-charge of Punjab in recent organizational reshuffle by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).