LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN JHARKHAND CONGRESS AS QUESTIONS RISE ABOUT GHULAM MIR

After the central leadership of Congress assessed the feedback from respective leaders of several states where the party had performed poorly in the recent Lok Sabha elections, general secretary and in-charge of the election-bound state of Jharkhand, Ghulam Ahmed Mir was adjudged to be the “worst” among the lot, claim sources in the party.

- BADAR BASHIR

To keep him company in this category is the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Rajesh Thakur. This, sources claim is primarily because of poor ticket distribution by the duo in the Lok Sabha elections. Most leaders in the AICC indicate that Thakur’s replacement is certain. And now there is a buzz that even Mir might be replaced. More than a dozen leaders The Sunday Guardian talked to alleged that the bonhomie between Rajesh Thakur and Ghulam Ahmed Mir has caused serious damage to the party in the state as they have tried to help each other and therefore misled the high command as well as the state cadre. A party insider privy to the developments said, “If there is a humiliating feedback the high command has received about someone, it is Ghulam Ahmed Mir.

There are a lot of allegations against him.”

A senior Congress leader said, “Leaders are worried that if the duo continue to dominate the ticket distribution for the Jharkhand Assembly elections, the Congress-JMM alliance could lose a winning battle, because the Congress’ interests may not be paramount in that case.”