Ahead of polls, Cong sets up four key panels

In a bid to get its Haryana unit poll-ready, the Congress on Sunday set up four panels, including election, political affairs, and manifesto committees.

The party also set up a disciplinary committee in the state.

Parliamentary polls are due in April-May while the state assembly elections are slated for later this year.

The pradesh election committee of Haryana, set up by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, is headed by the state unit chief Udai Bhan and has former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Kiran Chaudhry, Deepender Singh Hooda, Raghuvir Singh Kadyan, Aftab Ahmed, Capt Ajay Yadav and Col Rohit Chaudhry, among others, as its members.

The election committee has 24 leaders as well as four ex-officio members -- president, Haryana Pradesh Youth Congress; president, Haryana Pradesh Mahila Congress; president, Haryana NSUI; and chief organiser, Seva Dal, Haryana.

Congress president Kharge also set up the political affairs committee in the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.

The political affairs committee has 51 members in all with Deepak Babaria, AICC in-charge of the state, as its head.

Bhan, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja, Surjewala, Kiran Chaudhry, Deepender Singh Hooda, Kadyan, Ahmed, and Capt Yadav are among those who are part of the political affairs committee.

Kharge also set up a 27-member manifesto committee with Geeta Bhukkal as its chairman and Bharat Bhushan Batra as its convener. Additionally, AICC frontal and department chairpersons from Haryana, as well as all PCC cells chairpersons will be part of the manifesto committee, according to a party statement.

A four-member disciplinary action committee has also been set up with Mahendra Pratap as the chairperson.