Srinagar: In a significant reshuffle ahead of the upcoming Assembly Elections, the Congress Party on Friday, August 16, appointed Tariq Hameed Karra as the new president of its Jammu and Kashmir unit, replacing Vikar Rasool Wani. Simultaneously, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh has been named the president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee, taking over from Rajesh Thakur.
As part of its preparations for the Assembly Elections in the Union Territory, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also appointed two working presidents for Jammu and Kashmir: Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla. The Election Commission of India announced the dates for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections on the same day. Vikar Rasool Wani, who was previously leading the Jammu and Kashmir unit, has now been appointed as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Meanwhile, Karra, who was previously a permanent invitee to the CWC, has been relieved from that position.
In a statement, the party acknowledged Wani's contributions during his tenure as the Pradesh Congress Committee president, expressing appreciation for his work. In Jharkhand, where Assembly elections are scheduled for later this year, the Congress Party also made significant changes by appointing Rameshwar Oraon as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party with immediate effect.
Furthermore, in Maharashtra, where Assembly elections are also expected later this year, Kharge appointed Balasaheb Thorat as a member of the CWC and Mohd Arif Naseem Khan as a special invitee to the CWC. Additionally, Syed Muzaffar Hussain has been appointed as the working president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.
On Friday, the Election Commission announced the election schedules for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir will have a three-phase voting process on September 18, September 25, and October 1, while Haryana will conduct its elections in a single phase on October 1. The results for both regions will be declared on October 4.
These elections mark the first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and its reorganization into a Union Territory. The schedules for the Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra are yet to be announced.
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