Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 20, reconstituted the party’s highest executive body, the Congress Working Committee. Among the members is senior Congress leader and former deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot.
Pilot’s induction comes a few months ahead of the assembly polls in Rajasthan, where the Congress party is grappling with an internal rift between him and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Earlier in May, this year, after months of infighting, two leaders displayed unity after a four-hour long meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.
The party has also included several new members in the CWC, including Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, Maharashtra Congress leader Ashokrao Chavan, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Anand Sharma.
Responding to his inclusion in the highest decision-making body, Shashi Tharoor tweeted, “I am honoured by the decision of the @INCIndia President Shri Mallikarjun @Kharge ji and the Congress central leadership to nominate me to the Working Committee. As one who is aware of the historic role played by the CWC in guiding the party over the last 138 years, I am humbled and grateful to be part of this institution, and look forward to the opportunity to serve the party alongside my dedicated colleagues.”
“None of us can accomplish anything without the lakhs of committed workers who are the lifeblood of the party. Today, above all, I bow to them. The countless Indians who seek a more inclusive and accepting India deserve the best from us,” tweeted Tharoor.
This announcement coincides with the party’s preparations for the 2024 general elections and state assembly elections in five states, including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram.
Several senior leaders have been included in the list of permanent invitees, including Tariq Hameed Karra from Kashmir, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Lok Sabha MP Anandpur Sahib, and Veerappa Moily.
Former Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President Neelakanthapuram Raghuveera Reddy has also been added as a member of the CWC. Reddy had taken a political hiatus after the 2019 general elections and recently reengaged in active politics.
Among the other new members on the list are the party's spokespersons Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate, Naseer Hussain, Alka Lamba, Praniti Shinde, Ganesh Godiyal, and Yashomati Thakur.
Earlier this year, in February, the Congress' steering committee decided against holding elections for the CWC, instead empowering party chief Kharge to nominate its members.
The new list designates 39 leaders as members, 32 as permanent invitees, and 13 as special invitees.
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