Assembly Elections 2024: The Election Commission has announced that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases between September 18 and October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 4. These elections will be the first since most of the provisions of Article 370 were abolished in 2019. In preparation, the Congress Party has initiated significant organizational changes. Tariq Hameed Karra has been appointed as the new president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Vikas Rasool Wani. Additionally, Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla have been named working presidents for Jammu and Kashmir.
In Jharkhand, where assembly elections are also set for later this year, Keshav Mahato Kamlesh has been appointed as the head of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Rajesh Thakur. Rameshwar Oraon has taken over as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, succeeding Alamgir Alam. Oraon, previously a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, has now been relieved of this role.
Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, Congress has also made strategic appointments. Senior state leader Balasaheb Thorat has been inducted as a member of the Congress Working Committee, while Arif Naseem Khan has been named a special invitee. In addition, Syed Muzaffar Hussain has been made the working president of the Maharashtra State Congress Committee.
These changes reflect Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's efforts to strengthen the party’s organization ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, which are expected to take place between October and November.