With the Congress facing back-to-back drubbing in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the central leadership cracked the whip on office-bearers. It dissolved all the 14 district committees and the 140 block committees of the party.
The State committee of the party was earlier dissolved in March ahead of the Lok Sabha polls after Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh took over the reins of the State unit.
“After a meeting with the Delhi Congress chief, AICC general-secretary and in-charge of Delhi affairs, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed directed to dissolve all the 14 district and 140 block Congress Committees with immediate effect,” said Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma, adding that all the cells and departments have also been dissolved with immediate effect.
Mr. Sharma said the decision has been taken to strengthen and revitalise the party in Delhi. The Congress leaders said with the Assembly elections likely to be held in the next few months, a new team would be put in place within a month.
The spokesperson said committed and devoted party workers will be given appropriate positions in the party organisation.
The party, he said, has also decided to give strong representation to all sections of society up to the polling-booth level in order to give it a fresh lease of life.
Party sources said the exercise is going to be tough for the party as “it would have to look beyond the established faces within the party who have been at the helm of affairs for quite some time”.
“While giving representation to all sections of society in the organisation is a must, the party would have to look for young faces who can actually work at the grassroots level. The Congress is competing with the AAP in Delhi. The new party has weaned away the traditional vote bank of the Congress. If the party has to give itself a real chance at a comeback in the JJ clusters and resettlement colonies, it would have to cultivate a new leadership within these communities who can counter the door-to-door campaign style of the AAP,” said a senior Congress leader.
The leaders, however, hinted that some members of the old guard, including ex-MLAs, who still hold clout in their areas and communities, could also be inducted into the new committees at the district and State level.
