Congress appoints 4 new AICC coordinators

NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday appointed four new coordinators in the All India Congress Committee (AICC). "Congress President has approved the proposal of appointing the following as AICC Coordinators attached to the office of the Congress President, with immediate effect. Their responsibilities will be assigned as required," reads the AICC statement.

The four new AICC coordinators include Syed Nasir Hussain, Pranav Jha, Gurdeep Singh Sappal and Gaurav Pandhi. Congress on Tuesday announced its list of star campaigners for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections.

Big names of the party including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party MP Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, CM Ashok Gehlot, CM Bhupesh Baghel, Sachin Pilot, Jignesh Mevani, Kanhaiya Kumar are among the star campaigners of the party. Congress has announced the names of 40 people in its star campaigners list. The list also includes the names of former CMs of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, and Congress Rajya Sabha MP, Digvijaya Singh. The list has the name of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former CM of Haryana and former CM of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan.

The list includes several other names including Ramesh Chennithala, Tariq Anwar, BK Hariprasad, Mohan Prakash, Shaktisinh Gohil, Raghu Sharma, Congress MP Jagdish Thakor, Sukhram Rathva, and Shivajirao Moghe. Notably, the Congress party in Gujarat is facing challenges of its party members jumping ship to the BJP as the polls are nearing. Some notable names to jump ship include Himanshu Vyas, incharge of the Indian Overseas Congress, who joined the BJP.

Before this, the Congress MLA Bhagvanbhai D Barad tendered his resignation from all posts of the Congress. In another significant jolt, veteran Congress leader and 11 times MLA Mohansinh Rathva, a prominent tribal leader, along with his sons Rajubhai, Ranjit Bhai, and other members joined the BJP. Another Congress MLA from Jhalod, Bhavesh Katara resigned from the party.

The state will go to the polls in two phases on December 1 and 5. In the first phase, polling will be held for 89 seats while the second phase will see voting for 93 seats. The results will be declared on December 8. The term of the 182-member state Assembly ends on February 18, 2023. Congress has announced a total of 104 out of the 182 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections. The Congress on Monday appointed zonal and Lok Sabha constituency-wise observers for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls.

Gujarat has seen a traditional face-off between the ruling BJP and its rival Congress party. However, in the upcoming elections a new entrant, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is being keenly watched in the poll fray. BJP has been in power in the state for the last 27 years and the state is considered as a BJP bastion.

Gujarat has been a BJP bastion for decades and the party is seeking its seventh term in office. Congress on Saturday released the election manifesto for the Gujarat Assembly elections with 11 commitments.