Although the incumbent Jammu and Kashmir Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir had submitted his resignation on July 5, the party high command is hesitant to announce his replacement due to intense infighting among senior leaders.
Struggling to maintain its presence felt in the Union Territory after the worst-ever debacle in two successive Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019, and 2014 assembly polls, J&K Congress is divided among groups within groups.
Not only J&K Congress is divided between Ghulam Ahmad Mir and former leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad factions, serious differences have cropped up among leaders who owe their allegiance to Azad.
Wishing anonymity a former minister told International Bussiness Times that two-time MLA from Banihal and ex-minister Vakar Rasool was the front-runner for the post of PCC chief but the high command is hesitating to announce the name of a new PCC chief due to differences among loyalists of Azad.
"Vakar Rasool is a loyalist of Azad but his (Azad's) other loyalists are also opposing Vakar's name for PCC chief", sources said and added that it was all due to opposition by Azad loyalists that the high-command is hesitating to announce Vakar's name.
Azad asked to suggest one name for the PCC chief
Sources said that to bring a truce between two warring factions of the party, the Congress high-command has asked Ghulam Nabi Azad to suggest the name of any potential candidate to replace G A Mir.
The Congress high command has decided to replace Mir to pacify annoyed loyalists of Ghulam Nabi Azad who have been demanding the removal of Mir.
"Instead of forwarding a single name Azad suggested names of Vakar Rasool and G M Saroori from Jammu and Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and G N Monga from Kashmir Valley", a source in Congress said and added that decision of the Azad to suggest four names created further confusion instead of unity in the Congress.
Sources said that name of Vakar Rasool was almost finalized and the official order was signed by K C Venugopal, AICC General Secretary (Organization) but the same was stopped at the eleventh hour due to objections raised by other loyalists of Azad.
Sources said that some Congress leaders have passed resolutions and forwarded the same to the party high command. In these resolutions, Congress leaders demanded that they should be consulted before taking any decision on appointing a new president.
Consensus eludes despite back-to-back meetings at Delhi
A series of meetings of J&K Congress leaders were held in Delhi to evolve a consensus on the name of the new president but to no avail.
After objection by their own group leaders the high command withheld the name of Vakar Rasool as the new party chief. Over two dozen leaders were called to Delhi for discussions to evolve consensus on the name of a candidate to whom responsibility will be given to the J&K Congress chief.
Sources said that after holding discussions and deliberations all leaders were asked to go back to J&K and they were assured that name of the new president would be conveyed to them within a couple of days.
Almost 15 days have passed but no decision regarding the new president is taken by the high command.
