New Delhi Cong chief Subhash Chopra faces tough task of rejuvenating party cadre

A veteran leader of the Delhi Congress and three-time MLA, Subhash Chopra will lead the party in the Delhi assembly polls scheduled early next year.

Known to be close to former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, 72-year-old Chopra was the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) during 1998 to 2003.

He replaces Dikshit, three months after her demise.

After its dismal performance in the 2015 Assembly polls, the Congress managed to pip the AAP to the third position in five of the seven seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, it suffered a jolt after the death of Dikshit.

Chopra now faces a challenging task of rejuvenating the cadre and bringing together different factions of the Delhi Congress after Dikshit's death.

A former speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Chopra forayed into politics when he was student at the Delhi University in 1968. He was elected as the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) president in 1970-71.

Chopra also holds a diploma in criminal law.

He was first elected to the metropolitan council from Daryaganj in 1983 and to the Delhi Assembly thrice from 1993 to 2013 after contesting from Kalkaji.

In 2013, he was appointed the chairman of an 87-member Congress campaign committee.

The Congress on Wednesday appointed Chopra as chief of its city unit and former BJP MP Kirti Azad as the chairman of the campaign committee.