Two months after the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle, the political appointments and organisational recruitments in the ruling Congress are yet to be made in Rajasthan, leading to an apprehension that the truce between the rival factions may break down. The workers in the districts are also waiting with great expectations.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra has so far appointed only 13 district unit presidents and two spokespersons during his one-and-a-half-year-long tenure. The district and block units were dissolved in July 2020 after the dismissal of Tonk MLA Sachin Pilot as the PCC president and Deputy Chief Minister following his rebellion.
As many as two dozen political appointments to various boards and corporations are yet to be made, while the organisational expansion, in which 400 block and 29 district presidents will be nominated, is getting delayed.
Two city unit chiefs
To prevent disputes among senior leaders, the party had announced that two city unit chiefs would be appointed in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota.
The principal reason for the delay is stated to be the commitment of AICC general secretary Ajay Maken as the head of the Congress screening committee for the upcoming Assembly election in Punjab. Mr. Maken has been unable to pay attention to the affairs in Rajasthan for the last two months despite being the in–charge for the State.
While the workers are waiting for the completion of the election process in Punjab, Mr. Dotasra is reportedly not in favour of re–appointing the previous block and district unit chiefs. The sources in the party said the Pilot camp was insisting that the benefit of senior local leaders’ experience should be obtained for strengthening the party in the districts.
Mr. Maken played an important role in reconciling the differences and evolving a balance for the Cabinet reshuffle as well as the formation of the executive committee.
The expansion on November 21, which took the Council of Ministers to its full strength of 30, corrected caste and regional imbalances and brought together the rival camps.