Cong sets up committee to examine poll debacle in Punjab

Congress today constituted a committee under former CWC member Dhaniram Shandilya to examine why it failed to get the expected results in the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.

This is the party's first exercise to set its house in order after the poll debacle.

Haryana Minister Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed is the Vice Chairman of the Committee which has Subhash Chopra, former Delhi Assembly Speaker and party MLAs from Delhi —Jaikishen and Devendra Yadav — as its members, AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed said.

With the committee consisting of all members from outside the state, Punjab PCC General Secretary Lakhvinder Garcha will assist it. The panel has been asked to submit its report within a month.

The results in Punjab as also in several other states have come as a huge disappointment to the party. Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi has already hinted at revamping the organisation, including making structural changes. Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, AAP took four, ruling SAD won four and its ally BJP bagged two. Congress won only three seats.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had picked up eight seats while SAD had taken four and BJP had won only one seat.

The only solace for Congress in the state was from the Amritsar constituency, where former Chief Minister and party nominee Amarinder Singh defeated Arun Jaitley, despite SAD backing him to the hilt.