CWC rejig: Key takeaways from the changes made by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

A massive change is taking place within the Congress, and Mallikarjun Kharge is putting his stamp on the party. On 20 August (Sunday), the Congress announced an overhaul of the party, reconstituting its working committee – the party’s top decision-making body.

The changes within the party come eight months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and on the birth anniversary of party mascot Rajiv Gandhi.

The new CWC (Congress Working Committee) comprises of 39 general members, 32 permanent invitees and 13 special invitees, including presidents of the Youth Congress, the National Students’ Union of India, the Mahila Congress and the Seva Dal as ex-officio members.

We take a closer look at who’s in, who’s out and what these changes mean for the party that is struggling to take on the Modi juggernaut.

A rejigged CWC

After it was decided in February that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge would nominate the members to the CWC, the party on Sunday announced its overhaul, adding some new names while removing some other significant personalities.

First, let’s take a look at some prominent inclusions into the party’s top decision-making body. Kharge has included young leaders, leaders from election bound states and dissidents so as to give the CWC a balanced outlook.

One of the most significant inclusions in the CWC is Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

The Congress President Shri @kharge has constituted the Congress Working Committee.

Here is the list: pic.twitter.com/dwPdbtxvY5

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 20, 2023

Kharge has also included former Chief Ministers Ashok Chavan and Charanjit Singh Channi into the highest decision-making body of the Congress. Besides these names, Kharge has also inducted former Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor, former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Gujarat leader Deepak Babaria, West Bengal leader Deepa Dasmunsi, former Andhra Pradesh Congress chief N Raghuveera Reddy, Chhattisgarh home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain, young Madhya Pradesh MLA Kamleshwar Patel and Rajasthan minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya into the enlarged 39-member main CWC.

Party chief Kharge has also inducted several leaders as permanent invitees. These include former Karnataka chief minister M Veerappa Moily, Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari, Kerala’s Ramesh Chennithala, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh among others.

Leaders such as Gaurav Gogoi, Supriya Shrinate, who serves as the current chairperson social media and digital platforms, Pawan Khera, Alka Lamba and even Kanhaiya Kumar have found a space within the CWC.

Reacting to the news, Tharoor said that he was honoured by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the central leadership’s decision to nominate him to the working committee and asserted that countless Indians who seek a more inclusive India “deserve the best” from the party. “I am honoured by the decision of the @INCIndia President Shri Mallikarjun @Kharge ji and the Congress central leadership to nominate me to the Working Committee,” Tharoor said in a post on X.

#WATCH | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "...I am honoured by the decision of the Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Congress central leadership to make me a full member of the Congress Working Committee...I am deeply humbled and grateful to be a part… https://t.co/eZl8nrZriZ pic.twitter.com/l93nSo8pLL

— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2023

Sachin Pilot, too, expresses his gratitude for the inclusion into the body. “We all will strengthen the customs and ideology of the Congress and take it more strongly to the people,” he wrote.

#WATCH | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "...I am honoured by the decision of the Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Congress central leadership to make me a full member of the Congress Working Committee...I am deeply humbled and grateful to be a part… https://t.co/eZl8nrZriZ pic.twitter.com/l93nSo8pLL

— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2023

Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who also has been inducted into the CWC, said he was honoured to be included in the CWC. “It is with great humility that I accept this responsibility and I commit to working tirelessly towards the betterment of the Congress Party and the nation. I am fully dedicated to upholding the party’s values and principles, and to contributing to its growth and success,” he tweeted on X.

Apart from these additions, Kharge has also removed or excluded some members from the CWC, raising eyebrows. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot as well as Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah find no place in the rejigged CWC.

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Harish Rawat also has been removed from the party’s top body.

Other leaders who have been dropped are Raghuvir Singh Meena from Rajasthan, Dinesh Gundurao, KH Muniyappa and HK Patil from Karnataka (all state ministers in Karnataka now), Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, PL Punia and Raghu Sharma.

Messaging behind the new CWC

But what do these additions to the CWC mean for the party and its politics? Political pundits and Congress observers note that there’s plenty of significance behind Kharge’s changes to the CWC.

For starters, he’s added Shashi Tharoor to the CWC. For those who don’t remember, Tharoor had contested against Kharge in the party presidential elections last year. And by adding him to the CWC, Kharge has displayed that there’s no animosity or pettiness against the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

Kharge has also included Sachin Pilot into the CWC. This is significant as Pilot had revolted against the Gehlot government in 2020 and had been removed from the deputy chief minister’s post following it. His elevation to the CWC shows that the party values him and his role in Rajasthan politics. Furthermore, it also takes the pressure off Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ahead of the state Assembly elections likely in November-December this year.

The Deccan Herald noted that by adding Pilot, Kharge was intending to send the message to keep party chief ministers under check by inducting their bête noire in the panel. It also ensures that dissident activities are checked to minimise losses as well as ensure that one leader does not emerge as the lone warrior and thus challenging the leadership.

Kharge has also included leaders such as Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik into the CWC. It’s important to note here that these personalities had been part of the G-23 grouping, who had articulated the need for intra party reforms.

The additions to the CWC come at a time when the party is preparing for multiple state elections as well as the 2024 general elections.

Interestingly, the top decision-making body of Congress now has a total of six OBC (Other Backward Castes) leaders against just one in the previous committee and nine Scheduled Caste leaders. Kharge has also included a tribal leader on the new list with Rajasthan minister Mahendrajeet Malviya. This could be an indication of Congress’ outreach before the state polls.

However, one big concern that poll pundits have noted from the newly-reconstituted CWC is that no leader from election-bound Telangana has been included. However, a surprise inclusion is former Minister, N Raghuveera Reddy from Andhra Pradesh.

With inputs from agencies