Mahajan gearing up Congress for uphill task ahead

CHANDIGARH, July 8: The process for revamping the Congress set up in Himachal Pradesh has begun. While Party President Sonia Gandhi has opte...

CHANDIGARH, July 8: The process for revamping the Congress set up in Himachal Pradesh has begun. While Party President Sonia Gandhi has opted against dislodging Virbhadra Singh from leadership of Congress Legislature Party CLP, she has picked a new PCC president in Sat Mahajan, ignoring all lobbying.

Mahajan, a trusted party loyalist, is taking over party reins at a time when Virbhadra Singh8217;s charisma has started fading away and the party is in a bad shape in the newly-merged areas. Mahajan, who has been the PCC president twice earlier, represents the area where Congress had suffered major reversals in the February assembly polls and lost power to the BJP-HVC combine. Rejuvenating the party, gearing it up for fighting BJP and regaining people8217;s confidence, are the main tasks ahead for Mahajan.

Mahajan says quot;the task entrusted to me by Sonia Gandhi is very challenging. We are neither in power at the Centre nor here. Party workers are demoralised and leaders are confused. There is need to analyse the reasons, for why and how it is that Congress lost even in its strongholds.8221; He says a concrete strategy would be drawn up to gear up the party for ensuring its return to power. Also, after the party8217;s rout in Mandi Lok Sabha and four assembly seats, Virbhadra Singh8217;s position had become quite vulnerable.

Mahajan fills up the vacancy created by late Sant Ram, who made an honourable exit before being replaced. Many close confidant of late Sant Ram reveal quot;Pandit ji, 8221; as he was fondly referred to, quot;was tense during the last few days because of pressure being mounted for his sack.quot; It was also a fact that he, though a veteran Congressman, was just a 8220;rubber stamp8221; and had little role in the party8217;s poor show in his own area or elsewhere.

Mahajan8217;s return to the PCC post within an year, also proves that his writenot only runs in new-merged area areas Kangra belt but also enjoys excellent rapport with central leaders.

Virbhadra8217;s camp, however, had suffered a big jolt on Mahajan8217;s appointment, since he had been proposing the name of former minister Chander Kumar for the post. Another contender for the post was former speaker Kaul Singh Thakur. Thakur, a Virbhadra Singh loyalist earlier, had been able to project an independent image also. He had been claiming that if the party wanted to really fight out Sukh Ram, he was the only leader from Mandi who could do so. But the AICC, perhaps, wanted to avoid political battle against Sukh Ram.

The appointment of Mahajan had another message. The party wants factionalism to end and entrust PCC reins to a person who hails from politically vulnerable area, above Virbhadra Singh8217;s influence. Mahajan also has the capacity to strike a close rapport with senior leaders like former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur and former speaker Vidya Stokes. Among Kangra politicians Mahajan, undoubtedly, is a towering leader. He has never switched loyalties or changed the party 8211; unlike many in the Kangra area.

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The new PCC president says he would involve the grass root party workers in the exercise to build up a strong set up upto the booth-level. 8220;Our main political enemy is BJP and not HVC, and my plan would be to take BJP head on,quot; he declares. Mahajan also needs to have a younger lot in his team of general secretaries for infusing new spirit in the party.