A considerably long tenure of Pradeep Balmuchu as State Congress president came to an end on Monday with the party high command replacing him with Sukhdeo Bhagat, a former MlA from lohardaga.
Party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi while announcing the decision in New Delhi also clarified that the appointment has been made with immediate effect.
Bhagat, a tribal face for the party pressed in the hope to resurrect the love lost prevailing among tribals in the State, is likely to take charge on Tuesday after his return from Delhi. His name has been finalised following months of deliberations taking place at the central level and considering other names like Geetashree Oraon, Stephen Marandi and a few others.
Bhagat, who quit Jharkhand State administrative service to successfully fight the assembly elections in 2005, is known as a person with clean image and one who is capable of taking all along. “He is a capable leader and can win faith of everyone. He is also an organiser and can rebuild the party,” said party spokesperson Shailesh Sinha.
The appointment has come at a time when the party is set to face various challenges in the form of upcoming Assembly and lok Sabha polls on the one hand and growing factionalism in the party on the other. Besides, Bhagat would also have to take a position on current government formation exercise by entering into an alliance with the JMM, an unfulfilled dream of his predecessor Pradeep Balmuchu.
“He would certainly have to handle the challenges the party has been facing for last 12 years in the State. But his clean image can give unity a chance in the State Congress. He is an experienced person and not a new comer into the party. It is expected he would live upto the expectations,” said senior Congress leader Radha Krishna Kishore.
However, the appointment is more a good news for rival faction of Balmuchu, who held the key post for more than nine long years on a trot. Even after his election to the Upper House of Parliament, Balmuchu managed the post for himself on interim basis, leaving his rivals in a lurch. Hence soon after the news spread on Monday, the faction led by his bête noire Subodh Kant Sahay organised a celebration at party office.
“The change was required and called for. When the party leadership asked for the name other than me I had recommended Sukhdeo Bhagat’s name for the post. Now when the decision has been made, I hope that he would build a new team and work in an organised manner to achieve the goal. He is a nice person and we all expect that he would work for strengthening the party in Jharkhand ahead of the polls,” said Geetashree Oraon, who was among the front runners for the post.
Party leaders are though divided over the line of thinking about the alliance with the JMM in the context of Bhagat at the helm of affairs. Those who are in favour of government formation think that he would also work in this direction whereas the others think otherwise.