Congress Revamps MP Leadership with OBC Focus

The Congress party has unveiled a strategic overhaul of its Madhya Pradesh unit, appointing 71 district presidents with a strong emphasis on Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who constitute nearly 49% of the state’s population. Over 20 of the new appointees hail from OBC communities, followed by significant representation from Dalit, tribal, and minority groups, aligning with Rahul Gandhi’s vision for inclusive leadership ahead of the 2028 state assembly elections.

The list, released by AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday, includes prominent figures such as Jaivardhan Singh, son of senior leader Digvijaya Singh and former state minister, appointed as Guna district president. Four women have been named district chiefs: Vijaylaxmi Tanwar (Agar Malwa), Pratibha Raghuvanshi (Khandwa city), Sunita Patel (Narsinghpur), and Saraswati Singh Markam (Singrauli). Eleven former legislators, including ex-ministers Omkar Singh Markam (Dindori), Priyavrat Singh (Rajgarh), and Harshvijay Gehlot (Ratlam rural), also secured key roles.

The party retained 18 existing presidents, such as Praveen Saxena (Bhopal city), Anokhi Man Singh Patel (Bhopal rural), Nanesh Choudhary (Barwani), and Mukesh Bhati (Ujjain city). From the minority community, Arif Iqbal Siddiqui replaced Maqsood Ahmed as Satna city chief. The list also includes two Muslims, two Jains, and one Sikh, reflecting a diverse coalition. “This aligns with Rahul Gandhi’s push for a caste-based census to address social and economic disparities,” a Congress leader told PTI.

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The appointments follow Gandhi’s launch of the ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’ in June, a campaign to rejuvenate the party’s organizational structure in Madhya Pradesh after its crushing defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP swept all 29 seats, including Congress stronghold Chhindwara. The party has struggled to regain power in the state since 2003, except for a brief 15-month stint under Kamal Nath from 2018 to 2020, which ended when Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyalists defected to the BJP.

The announcement wasn’t without friction. In Burhanpur, Congress leader Hemant Patil resigned from all party posts after being overlooked for the rural district president role. “I’ll remain a worker,” Patil said, marking the first dissent following the list’s release. Party insiders, however, remain optimistic, citing the diverse leadership as a step toward rebuilding grassroots support.

With the BJP dominating Madhya Pradesh under OBC chief ministers like Mohan Yadav, the Congress is banking on its inclusive strategy to challenge the ruling party’s grip. As preparations for 2028 intensify, the party aims to leverage this reshuffle to reconnect with voters and address longstanding grievances in the state.

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