Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday announced the new Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision making body.
Among those who’ve been dropped from the CWC are Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who was earlier a permanent invitee to the body, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh and party veterans Mohan Prakash, Oscar Fernandes, C P Joshi and Mohsina Kidwai. Hooda’s son Deepender Singh has found a place as a special invitee.
Also not included in the top body are Digvijaya Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Kamal Nath and Sushilkumar Shinde.
Rahul appeared to have focussed on experience over youth in his new team by including Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel, AK Antony, Tarun Gogoi and few other senior leaders in his new team.
Joshi has lost his post the party’s general secretary in-charge of Assam. This post has gone to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
The Congress president also included all general secretaries, responsible for different states in the list of permanent invitees. They are Jitendra Singh, RPN Singh, PL Punia, Asha Kumari, Rajni Patil, Ram Chandra Khuntia, Anugrah Narayan Singh, Rajeev S Satav, Shaktisinh Gohil, Gaurav Gogoi and A Chella Kumar.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had unsuccessfully led the Congress campaign for a second term in May this year, too has been accommodated in Rahul’s new team.
Among the 10 special invitees are also INTUC, Seva Dal, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and NSUI.
The new Congress Working Committee (CWC) includes 23 members, 18 permanent invitees and 10 special invitees. He has also convened the first meeting of the extended CWC on July 22 to chalk out the party’s future strategy, reported PTI. The meeting will include all state unit presidents and Congress Legislative Party leaders from states.