Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the Congress on Wednesday appointed Subhash Chopra as chief of its city unit and former BJP MP Kirti Azad as the chairman of the campaign committee.
It is a second stint for Mr. Chopra, who turned 72 today, as the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, a post he held from 1998 to June 2003.
The appointment comes nearly three months after the demise of incumbent Sheila Dikshit.
ADVERTISEMENT
He is a three-time MLA from Kalkaji. He was first elected as a member of Delhi Assembly in 1998 and retained his seat in 2003 and 2008. He was the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly from June 2003 to December 2003.
“Congress president has appointed Subhash Chopra as president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC),” an official communication said.
Mr. Chopra will have the task of fostering unity in the party’s Delhi unit ahead of the crucial Assembly elections here due early next year.
ADVERTISEMENT
He will also have the uphill task of bringing the Congress back to power in Delhi, where it failed to open its account in the last Assembly polls and two consecutive Lok Sabha elections.
Mr. Chopra started his career as a student leader and was elected as president of the Delhi University Students Union from 1970 to 1971.
Campaign committee
Kirti Azad, whose name was earlier doing the rounds for the post of DPCC chief, was appointed as chairman of the campaign committee of Delhi Congress.
A former cricketer and son of former Bihar Chief Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, he returned to the Delhi Congress after a gap of almost two decades. He was earlier an MLA from Gole market in 1993, but lost the next election and then went over to contest from Dharbhaga in Bihar
The Congress also appointed M. Okendro as president of Manipur Pradesh Congress, replacing incumbent Gaikhangam.
“Congress president has appointed M. Okendro as president of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect. The party appreciates the contribution of outgoing PCC president Gaikhangam,” a communication said.