BJP-JJP in poll mode but Cong stuck in infighting, absence of ground level cadre adds to party’s woes

Since 2014, the Indian National Congress has seen four party affairs incharge including three year in the last three
years. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the then Congress leader was replaced by Vivek Bansal in September, 2020. Bansal was also pushed out after the party’s senior leader Ajay Maken could not make it to Rajya Sabha from Haryana despite the party having adequate number of MLAs. Shaktisinh Gohil replaced Bansal in December, 2022 and within barely six months, he was also replaced by Deepak Babaria.

The senior Congress leader, Deepak Babaria now faces the uphill task with barely 10 months left for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Babaria, not only has to tackle the factionalism within the State Congress unit, but also how to create the party’s cadre at ground level. Since 2014, there have been no district presidents, no block-incharges etc for the Congress party in Haryana.

Party sources told The Indian Express that unlike his predecessors Bansal and Gohil, Babaria has already begun connecting with the party’s grassroot level leaders.

Talking to The Indian Express on the intense infighting within the Haryana Congress, Babaria said, “I have been in the Congress party for a long time. I understand the party leaders’ aspirations, their psychology, their frustrations too. All such issues shall be redressed by way of increasing the communication within the party. As an opposition party, it is our main aim to stand united and ensure that BJP is pushed out of power not only in the State but also in the Parliament. And, we shall be doing it for sure”.

On the issue of Congress party’s ground-level cadre yet to be constituted while BJP and JJP have already got into the poll-mode, Babaria told The Indian Express, “Very soon, the party’s office-bearers shall be announced. But, at the same time it is incorrect to say that Congress party is not in the poll mode. In fact, we have been in the poll mode for long. Our state leadership is regularly holding public-connect programmes and several other such programmes are going to be launched in the coming days”.

Babaria further told The Indian Express that “I am always available, not only for my party leaders, but for all our
party workers. Anybody can contact me and connect with me at any time, give suggestions on how to do better. Our workers can meet me, give presentations and discuss what more needs to be done for people’s welfare and how to ensure that BJP is thrown out of power. In the coming days, not only me but our central leadership, our party’s observers, everybody shall be connecting with the party workers and state leadership in wake of the upcoming polls. The work of organization building will be completed soon. The party leadership knows which leader has so much potential. There is no need to tell the flower how much fragrance it has”.

Party sources told The Indian Express that before announcing the party’s ground-level cadre and office bearers, Babaria shall be taking the feedback from the ground on his own, unlike his predecessors who had been heavily relying on the party’s top state leadership including Hooda, Selja, Choudhry and Surjewala. “He understand the party and the politics, very well. He will ensure that all those who are appointed as party’s office-bearers are not the near-and-dear ones of any particular faction within the party, but the committed party workers who can enhance party’s winnability in the upcoming polls”.

There are 180 blocks identified across Haryana. The party has already prepared a tentative list of 33 district presidents (a few districts will have more than one district president) for the 22 districts across Haryana. The list earlier prepared by the Haryana Congress also included names of at least 185 Congress delegates, most of whom were alleged to be Hooda loyalists.