Haryana Congress rebuilds grassroots machinery, faces new tests
Haryana Congress's year-long Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan has revived grassroots networks, yet faces challenges on merit-based posts, caste balance and women's representation.
A year after launching its Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, the Haryana Congress has visibly rebuilt its grassroots machinery, moving from a decade of dysfunction to coordinated protests and structured outreach. The shift was evident last month when party workers blocked Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's convoy over Gurugram University infrastructure issues, a sign of renewed local mobilisation.
The overhaul, initiated after three straight Assembly defeats, has seen the appointment of district and block presidents and the formation of executive committees. The party has also introduced a fixed reporting cycle, with block meetings in early each month, followed by district and state-level gatherings. A performance grading system now reviews office-bearers, with the heads of Sirsa, Hisar (Urban) and Faridabad under scrutiny.
State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh said the outreach has covered 78 of 90 Assembly constituencies. Block conferences began in September, with Singh attending five and state in-charge Sanjay Dutt four. The party is also planning mandal-level committees and has revived its disciplinary mechanism.
Workers report an improved mood. Raju Maan, national convener of the All India Kisan Congress, said the leadership has finally turned to grassroots workers for feedback after years. Former Hisar MP Brijendra Singh noted the organisation is taking shape after 12 years, but stressed that district president offices must become functional and coordinate well with elected representatives.
Challenges remain. Lal Bahadur Khowal, chairman of the party's legal department, warned that the Congress must avoid being seen as representing a single caste, recalling that the BJP polarised the last election on Jat and non-Jat lines. Maan flagged that appointments often follow senior leaders' recommendations rather than merit, citing Charkhi Dadri where all four block presidents are Jats aligned with different leaders. He argued merit-based posts would ensure loyalty to the party, not individuals.
Women's representation is another gap. Of 33 district presidents, only one is a woman, a shortfall that matters as women become a key electoral constituency across parties.