MLAs in fray for political posts

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

The Congress is all set to placate its “disgruntled” MLAs by offering them posts of chairperson of various boards and corporations.

The first list of about 10 appointments is expected to be released after Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh discusses the names with Congress president Rahul Gandhi during a meeting on November 15 in Delhi, it is learnt.

Though scheduled earlier, the meeting between the two leaders could not be held due to unavailability of the party president. Apart from the political appointments, issues such as a decision on replacing the PPCC chief and restructuring district units are likely to be taken up.

As the appointments of MLAs as chairpersons have been inordinately delayed, senior party leaders and MLAs had been knocking at the doors of party high command for their “political rehabilitation”. The names likely to be considered in the first list include MLAs Harpartap Ajnala, Raj Kumar Verka, Darshan Brar and Sangat Singh Gilzian.

Sources said the state presidents of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Delhi were likely to be changed. The party was looking for a Dalit leader to head the Punjab unit in wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The sources said there were reports that Verka might be considered for the PPCC chief post, but it was unlikely.