First task for is Sonia Gandhi to set Congress in order

New Delhi [India], Aug 13 (ANI): After returning to the helm of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi has made it her priority to streamline and resolve the infighting reported in the party's units in poll-bound states like Delhi, Jharkhand, Haryana and Maharashtra.

As per sources, Gandhi has taken cognisance of the fact that many leaders have quit the party ahead of the polls in these states.

She has taken note that post of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief is vacant after the demise of Sheila Dikshit and has to be filled ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for next year.

Gandhi was also apprised of the incident when All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Delhi, PC Chacko wrote a letter to Dikshit, objecting to the announcement of the district and block-level observers.

In Jharkhand, Ajoy Kumar has tendered his resignation from the post of state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). Kumar's resignation came days after a meeting of senior Congress leaders from Jharkhand amid the tussle over leadership in the state unit.

Congress' Jharkhand unit has been in a state of disarray since the party suffered a humiliating defeat in the 17th Lok Sabha elections.

Similarly, in Haryana, the infighting between state PCC chief Ashok Tanwar and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is no more a secret. Hooda has been giving indications about forming a new party before the elections to the 90-member Assembly in October.

Internal bickering had been brewing within the state unit of the party and escalated following its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Congress failed to win even a single seat out of a total of ten parliamentary constituencies in Haryana.

Hooda has been seeking the removal of Tanwar. His efforts, however, failed as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was reportedly not willing to accept his demand.

With Sonia Gandhi taking over as the interim president of the Congress, Hooda may once again renew his efforts to oust Tanwar. If his demand is met, the two-time chief minister may continue in the grand old party, the sources had said.

The seat-sharing formula in Maharashtra is yet to be discussed.

Recently, senior leaders and Rajya Sabha MPs like Bhubaneswar Kalita and Sanjay Singh resigned and joined the BJP due to ambiguity over party's missing leadership.

However, the Congress has always maintained that no crisis is going on within the party after facing defeat in the 17th Lok Sabha elections, but the real picture seems to be quite different from what they claim.