A day after its senior leader Shankarsingh Vaghela quit the party, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took stock of the affairs in the State unit in a meeting with Gujarat leaders Ahmed Patel, general secretary incharge Ashok Gehlot and secretary incharge Rajeev Satav.
In the meantime, the party effected some changes in another poll-bound State, appointing former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as general secretary incharge of party affairs of Himachal Pradesh, replacing Ambika Soni, who sought to be relieved citing health gorunds. Shinde will be assisted by Bihar MP Ranjeeta Ranjan as AICC Secretary. She replaces Raja Ram Pal.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh go to polls later this year and the party is gearing up for restructuring its unit there. AICC sources said Rahul conveyed to the senior leaders to try and resolve the crisis in the crucial State where the Congress lost power over two decades ago.
The meeting also discussed Ahmed Patel’s re-election to the Rajya Sabha. According to sources, Vaghela has the support of around a dozen MlAs, and if they follow suit, it may put into jeopardy Patel’s chances of securing a fourth RS term from his home State. The Congress has 57 MlAs in Gujarat and its candidate would require 47 votes to get elected.
Vaghela, while announcing his decision of quitting the party, has already hinted he would resign from the Assembly only after the August 8 RS poll, seen as a veiled warning that he would try to ensure the defeat of the Congress candidate. Patel’s current term ends on August 18. Though the party is yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming elections, it is seen as almost certain that it would be Patel.
The Congress, however, is yet to take a decision on Soni’s replacement in Uttarakhand, the other State of which she was incharge and wanted to be relieved of. Soni will continue to be party’s general secretary incharge of Jammu & Kashmir.