New Delhi: A day after Sonia Gandhi replaced Haryana party unit chief Ashok Tanwar with former Union Minister Kumari Selja, Tanwar met Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi at her residence, here on Thursday.
At an hour-long meeting, Tanwar, considered close to Rahul Gandhi, discussed the appointments of new state chief and the chairman for the election committee Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Tanwar also apprised Gandhi of the party’s preparedness for Assembly polls, scheduled later this year.
Tanwar and Hooda were at the loggerhead for the last one year.
According to party leaders, Hooda supporters wanted the former Chief Minister to be made Haryana party chief. But the party leadership was not inclined to do so. “Thus, the party made Selja the state party chief,” said a leader.
Before the announcements on Wednesday, Hooda had detailed discussions with Sonia Gandhi.
Last month, Hooda at the Rohtak rally backed the Narendra Modi government’s move to abrogate Article 370 and also warned the Congress leadership. “Since the issue (whether to continue with the Congress) pertains to the future of the people, I can’t take the decision alone,” Hooda had said.
It was a clear signal to the Congress leadership to hand over the party’s reins in the state to Hooda, or else he would go on his own.
In 2014, the BJP improved its 2009 tally from 4 to 47, followed by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) with 19 legislators and the Congress, which came third with 15 seats. Two seats went to the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), and one each to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Five Independents were also elected.