Rahul Gandhi leads Congress revival in Haryana by tackling factionalism and appointing new district presidents.
Chandigarh: Struggling for a revival in Haryana, the Congress party sees a ray of hope as senior party leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi himself takes charge to rejuvenate the party with the appointment of district presidents.
During his first visit to the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) headquarters in Chandigarh after the party’s defeat in the Assembly and Mayoral elections in the state, Rahul Gandhi issued a strict warning to the top party leaders in Haryana to bury their differences and work unitedly.
Gandhi signalled a significant step towards addressing the long-standing organisational inertia and internal factionalism that have plagued the party for over a decade.
Gandhi’s three-hour engagement at the HPCC office with 18 party leaders was seen as a calculated effort to confront the deep-seated factionalism that has crippled the Congress in Haryana, which was attributed as the sole reason behind the party’s unexpected defeat in the Assembly polls.
The first meeting included 18 senior leaders such as former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Union Minister Birender Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda, and newly inducted Ashok Tanwar, among others.
In the nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting, Gandhi stressed the need to nurture ideologically committed leadership across the state. He also focused on reorganising the party, which has been functioning without district presidents for over 11 years. Gandhi urged leaders to end factionalism, warning that internal disputes cost the party in past elections against the BJP.
Later, the former Congress president also met 22 district observers to plan the rebuilding of the party’s structure. Party sources said that he set clear rules for selecting new district presidents: candidates must be aged 35 to 55, have five years of party work experience, maintain a clean image, and avoid factionalism.
During the meeting, Gandhi emphasised a zero-tolerance policy towards factionalism. He directed central observers to remain impartial and resist local influence. He stressed that only merit would count in appointments, not personal affiliations, stating, “Only merit will count, not links to so-and-so.”
Party sources said that when some senior leaders claimed that Congress’ vote percentage had improved to 39% in 2024 from 28% in 2019, Rahul said, “Do not mention the vote percentage but accept the truth that Congress has lost the election.”
It is learnt that some party leaders raised the issue of imbalance in ticket distribution in the Assembly elections, and Gandhi assured them this would not happen in the future. He said the state will get a complete organisation soon, with the president and leader of the legislative party being decided in a few days, followed by the appointment of district presidents.
Gandhi has also prioritised women for these roles. The outcome of these meetings was that observers will visit all districts starting June 10 and propose names for district presidents by June 30, forming a six-member panel in each district.
The second meeting involved 22 All India Congress Committee (AICC) and 90 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) observers tasked with overseeing the appointment of district presidents across Haryana’s 22 districts. According to Lok Sabha MP and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi during the visit, the observers will be involved in the appointment of District Congress Committee presidents in the state.
Congress’s in-charge of party affairs in Haryana, B.K. Hariprasad, said that in the meeting Gandhi underscored the need to strengthen the Congress at the grassroots level. He stressed that Gandhi’s strict message against internal conflicts aims to unify the party for future challenges. Hariprasad said that after June 10, the AICC and PCC observers will visit districts as part of the process to appoint district presidents and recommend a panel of six names from each district.
Despite a favourable anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BJP in the 2024 Assembly elections, Congress secured only 37 seats compared to the BJP’s 48 in the 90-member Assembly. Political analysts attribute this loss to internal strife, with rival factions led by prominent leaders like former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja undermining unified efforts.
Gandhi has directed the establishment of District Congress Committees (DCCs) across all 22 districts by June 30—ending an 11-year period during which the party lacked a functional district-level structure in Haryana. This absence has been a critical factor in Congress’s inability to capitalise on electoral opportunities, as factionalism led to disorganised grassroots efforts.
A senior party leader said that the selection process for district presidents will commence on June 10, with panels expected to be finalised by June 30. The criteria for selection prioritise youth leadership (ages 35-55), social inclusivity (including SC, BC, and women’s representation), and merit-based evaluations. Central and state observers will visit all districts to prepare panels of six potential district presidents, from which one will be selected. This process is designed to be transparent and merit-driven, aiming to empower younger, ideologically committed leaders and rebuild the party’s grassroots network.
Gandhi’s visit to the state party headquarters after a long gap has injected fresh enthusiasm among Congress leaders and workers, who see it as a sign of the high command’s efforts to revive the party in Haryana—which was once considered a Congress stronghold. Even on social media, party leaders and workers expressed this sentiment, hailing the meetings as a step toward ending internal conflicts and strengthening the organisation.
“Rahul Gandhi’s visit has come as a ray of hope and sends a clear message that the party is serious about strengthening itself on the ground. For years, we’ve been directionless at the district level, but now with new leadership and a clear plan, party workers like me feel motivated,” said Umesh Kumar, a worker of Haryana Youth Congress.
Despite the optimism, political observers say Congress still faces significant challenges in implementing Gandhi’s vision, as factionalism remains a formidable hurdle. Leaders like Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja command strong regional and community-based support bases. The party’s failure to appoint a Legislature Party leader seven months after the Assembly elections underscores the depth of these divisions.
“The narrow vote share gap between BJP’s 39.94% and Congress’s 39.09% in the 2024 elections highlights the potential for a comeback, but only if the party can present a united front,” predicts political observer Dr Satish Tyagi.
Gandhi’s Haryana visit is part of a broader effort to overhaul the Congress’ organisational structure across India under the ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’, with similar initiatives underway in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
While Gandhi’s visit to Chandigarh has set the stage for a critical phase in the Congress’ journey in Haryana, addressing factionalism remains a challenge. Though he has signalled a commitment to reclaiming the party’s relevance in Haryana, the appointment of district presidents will be a litmus test of the party’s ability to unite and mobilise.