Balmuchu mulls replacing 'defunct' district heads

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Friday, September 5, 2008

Jharkhand Congress might start a major reshuffle of party presidents at district level, in near future. Pradeep Balmuchu, State president of the party, is reported to have prepared the list of the district units of the party and its presidents who are stated to have been lying defunct for the last three years. Some district presidents of the party could be removed in the reshuffle, sources said.

Along with this, fresh appointments have been recommended for the district units - Khunti, Ramgharh and Saraikela - where the party has been running without any nominated or designated president so far. At Saraikela, party has been running without a head after Sadhu Charan Mahto deserted the party.

The well-placed sources confirmed that Balmuchu who is staying in New Delhi is supposed to communicate this list to Ajay Maken, the State in-charge of Congress. The sources said that appointments could probably be made within three months once the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) clears the deck for the change.

Concerned over the falling graph of the Congress in view of the next Lok Sabha poll in the State scheduled to be held next year, the party leadership fears that it would be impossible to retain the respective tally. A month back a piqued State president threw warning letters to such district units and their presidents to reinvigorate the party organisation. The step was taken after these district units remained dormant and uninvolved in party sponsored programmes.

Balmuchu is not stated to be happy over the failure of much hyped 'Parmanu Yatra' in these districts where the yatra met with low turnout of the party workers.

If sources are to be believed, report submitted by Balmucchu contains the name of the district units of Santhal Pargana and Palamu division, where immediate changes were required. If the recommendations are approved by Maken and AICC, then the district presidents of the party at Deoghar, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahebganj, Godda, Pakur and a couple of other could be replaced.

Even if the State Congress needed organisational change but it might not be an easy affair for the party and Balmucchu; said a senior Congress leader. The opponent of Balmucchu within the Congress might encounter him to define and justify the term 'defunct' - a ground for removal, as some district presidents close to Balmucchu too fall within the definition.

As these changes could take place anytime, different party factions have moved to install their favourite. At Deoghar, the senior Congress leader Omprakash is stated to have staked claim. About Godda, the sources said that Congress stalwart and MP Furkan Ansari wanted the replacement of Jayakant Thakur. While at Lohardaga, the senior party leader Rameswar Oraon is learnt to be backing a young figure, Sakil Ahmed for district president- replacing the existing DCC chief Pran Prasad Jaisawal.

The move of an expected change has also alerted the party MLAs and the detractors of Balmucchu who unlike the last time wanted a truly elected president.