Following the worst-ever performance in the lok Sabha elections in the State, drastic changes are on cards in the Gujarat Congress at every level — from top to bottom — keeping upcoming local body elections in mind.
The Congress failed to open its account in the State in the 16th lok Sabha polls. Now, the bosses of the oldest political outfit are in the correction mode and shifted their focus on local body elections in October 2015.
In one of such corrective measures, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Arjun Modhwadia recently dissolved all committees in four major cities — Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot. “Only the city Congress committee presidents will hold on to their posts in these cities. We are also in the process to dissolved committees in other cities. There would be major changes at tehsil-level too,” said Modhwadia.
If sources in the Congress are to be believed, reshuffling is not limited at the lower level, but major changes are expected to take place at the top level too. Sources said that possibly changes in the roles of the five senior most leaders in the party — GPCC president Modhwadia, leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela, former Union Ministers Bharatsinh Solanki and Tushar Chaudhry, who lost in the lok Sabha elections and Shaktisinh Gohil, All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesman, who won from Abadasa Assembly constituency in Kutch in the recently concluded bypolls — may also change.
Besides, the whole executive body is also likely to witness reshuffle. Some of the successful candidates in 2012 Assembly elections despite the BJP wave may get chance to work at State level. Even caste equations would also be considered to recapture lost bastions in the State that include tribal belt as well as parts of Saurashtra region.