With the Congress looking to undertake a major organisational overhaul at the state and central levels in the coming days, the party is also planning to reshuffle or replace All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries, sources said, adding that around 50% of the secretaries are likely to be replaced.
Five states that will hold Assembly elections in 2027 are likely to be the focus of the Congress’s overhaul, sources said.
Advertisement
Ahead of the expected changes, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi held meetings with all 60 AICC secretaries on Monday and Tuesday. The secretaries were instructed by the high command to bring written reports on their performance over the last six months.
Before meeting the secretaries, the Congress top brass had gathered feedback from the AICC general secretaries on the performance of the secretaries and in-charges, which was discussed during their interactions.
The AICC’s general secretaries and in-charges work in different states as its representatives, while secretaries work under them.
Advertisement
The secretaries were given forms to fill with details including number of visits to assigned states with dates, purpose of visits, and party events they attended, sources said. Another section in the form was “political observations and inputs for leadership or open issues”.
“When we went to meet Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, they had already collected feedback on us from the state general secretaries and in-charges. They sat down with us and gave us an opportunity to speak. They asked us what should be done in states to help the party’s performance. Some of us were told that we have not performed as per the demands of the work and we might be replaced,” an AICC secretary told The Indian Express.
“They saw our forms and told us that we need to travel to our assigned states more often,” said another secretary.
A source in the AICC told The Indian Express that Gandhi was not happy with the way some of the secretaries were functioning in states and told them they need to be more involved.
The source said changes at the AICC secretary level are especially expected in poll-bound states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, but other states like West Bengal and Assam may also see changes. “The idea is to strengthen the party for forthcoming elections but also for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Rahul ji is not happy with some of the secretaries and this was conveyed to them during the meetings. He also took stock of the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan (organisational rejuvenation campaign) being undertaken by the Congress in states involving the district party committees. Discussions also included ways to strengthen the party and launch anti-BJP movements in different states,” said the source.
The meetings with the AICC secretaries comes ahead of a possible revamp of several state party units. A change in leadership in the Punjab Congress seems to be on the cards in the run-up to the Assembly elections due in February 2027.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring is likely to be replaced, with a section of the leadership pitching for Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi to take over as the new state party chief. The party’s underwhelming performance in the recent local body elections has deepened factional fault lines within the state unit.
With UP also due for polls in early 2027, the Congress is also likely to undertake changes in its organisation in the state.