Aradhana Mishra Mona and Pargat Singh appointed to lead state organisations
Ending days of speculation, the Congress on Friday announced a major reshuffling in two electionbound states, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, with Aradhana Mishra Mona and Pargat Singh getting the roles to lead their respective states. The Congress replaced senior party leaders Ajay Rai as Uttar Pradesh Congress chief with Sitapur MLA Aradhana Mishra Mona and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring with Pargat Singh as Punjab Congress chief. In both states, the Congress carried out a major reshuffling ahead of the crucial Assembly elections, where infighting has been coming to the fore.
In the case of Punjab, Raja Warring, who was appointed as Punjab Congress chief in 2022 and led the party for over four and a half years, had faced major rebellion from another faction led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and several others. The Congress in June decided to continue with Warring as Punjab Congress chief, following which the internal rift came to the fore. The campaign led by Channi even gave a week to the party leadership to reconsider its decision, and they also boycotted the meeting called by then-in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. Posters also came up in Punjab with “Baghel go back” written on them. Looking at the tense situation in Punjab, the party first replaced former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel with Sachin Pilot in the first week of September.
However, despite all efforts, the demands for replacing Warring continued in Punjab and the chorus for his removal grew. Pilot on September 15 joined the Punjab Congress leaders’ protest for the first time over the suicide of Gulzar Singh and seeking registration of a case against AAP leader and state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. A source said that Pilot then also spoke to a number of leaders in the state to discuss the problems being faced by the organisation. Following this, he submitted his report to the party high command, the source said. The sources maintained that despite the Congress changing the in-charge in Punjab, all was not well in the state unit, with many leaders still trying to keep themselves away from Warring’s programmes.
This became evident to Pilot, prompting him to submit his report to the leadership. The sources also claimed that the decision taken on Friday was delayed, as it was supposed to happen a week ago. While commenting on why the party chose to continue with a Jat Sikh face in the form of Pargat Singh instead of a Hindu face in the form of former minister Vijay Inder Singla, the source said that the Congress did not want to experiment at this point of time, so close to the elections. “There is already too much anger among the people against the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in the state and there is also strong anti-incumbency against it.
The party wanted to go with the Jat Sikh in the form of Pargat Singh,” the source added. In the case of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, a party insider pointed out that tensions were simmering between him and the in-charge over their working styles. He pointed out that both leaders were aggressive in their own way in taking on the BJP-led government in the state. But the party wanted to bring a Brahmin face as the state unit chief, and Rai did not fit the requirement, he explained. Thus, it was decided to replace Rai with Aradhana Mishra Mona, the daughter of veteran Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, he said. He also said that, looking at the Congress’s vote bank in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims also constitute a significant population, the party made Imran Masood the working president to ensure that the voters remain aligned with the party, as Asaduddin Owaisi and his party AIMIM are also looking to gain ground in the state.
The Congress has suffered in Bihar due to AIMIM in last year’s Assembly polls, and thus it was required to send someone who can deal with Owaisi’s aggressive campaigning pattern in Uttar Pradesh. The insider pointed out that the party had taken a calculated risk in both states, which are very crucial for the Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls, as they will set the tone for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. However, it is worth mentioning that Masood’s statements on many occasions have made the Samajwadi Party uncomfortable, even as the seat-sharing talks are yet to start.
