Earlier on 16 August, the Congress had named Mr Azad, who was part of the G-23 leaders who demanded Sonia Gandhi to head the campaign committee, demanding a massive organizational change in 2020.
Earlier on 16 August, the Congress had named Mr Azad, who was part of the G-23 leaders who demanded Sonia Gandhi to head the campaign committee, demanding a massive organizational change in 2020.
On August 16, hours after he was appointed as the head of the campaign committee of the Congress’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned from the post.
Earlier today, the Congress underwent a major reshuffle in its unit in Jammu and Kashmir and appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the party’s state chief and Mr Azad as the head of the campaign committee.
The party had also named Mr Azad, who was part of a group of 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 to head the campaign committee in the Union Territory (UT), demanding a massive organizational change.
Mr Azad led a rebellion against the central leadership in 2020 led by a group of senior leaders called the G-23, who suggested several reforms within the party. Mr Azad, who had served eight terms in the Rajya Sabha, did not get re-nomination when he retired from the Upper House in March this year. Tuesday’s order is the first step taken by the party for the rehabilitation of Mr. Azad.
While Mr. Wani has been appointed as the president of the Jammu and Kashmir unit, Raman Bhalla has been made the working president of the party in the union territory. He will replace Ghulam Ahmed Mir who resigned in July after holding the position for eight years.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has accepted Mr. Mir’s resignation from the post of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President, a party statement said.
The Congress President has appointed the President and the Working President of the Jammu and Kashmir Unit and with immediate effect will be the Campaign Committee, Political Affairs Committee, Coordination Committee, Manifesto Committee, Publicity and Publicity Committee, Disciplinary Committee and State Election Committee of the UT Unit. also constituted. The statement said.
Mr Wani (46), a resident of Banihal Basti in Ramban district of Jammu region, is a two-time former MLA who also served as a minister during the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference-Congress coalition government between 2009-14.
According to the statement, Tariq Hamid Karra will be the vice-chairman of the campaign committee headed by Mr. Azad, while GM Saroori will be its convener.
The Campaign Committee consists of 11 leaders including the PCC President and the Working President as its permanent invitees.
Mr. Mir, Tara Chand, Thakur Balwan Singh, TS Bajwa, Shabbir Khan, Neeraj Kundan, Abdul Majeed Wani and Firoz Khan are also part of the campaign committee.
Ms. Gandhi also formed a Political Affairs Committee, which was chaired by Mr. Karra and included people such as Mr. Azad, Mr. Mir and Saifuddin Soz.
The Political Affairs Committee also includes Peerzada M. Syed, Taj Mohiuddin, Tara Chand, Mula Ram and Khemlata Vakhlu.
The committee consists of nine leaders including AICC in-charge, PCC president and working president as permanent invitees to the panel.
The party also constituted an 11-member Coordination Committee headed by Mr. Mir, a 12-member Manifesto Committee headed by Soz and a nine-member Publicity and Publicity Panel headed by Mool Ram.
A seven-member disciplinary committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Taj Mohiuddin.
With inputs from PTI