Uncertainty prevails in J&K Congress as it awaits new president ahead of state polls

JAMMU: Uncertainty prevailed over the appointment of new Jammu and Kashmir Congress president with party leaders here Sunday expressing reservations against the reported finalisation of the name of an MLA for the post though there was no official announcement.

A section of the media has reported that a junior leader has been finalised by the Congress leadership in New Delhi after Gulam Ahmed Mir relinquished the post Wednesday.

Former minister and senior Congress leader G M Saroori told reporters here Sunday the name being reported by the media is "not acceptable to us".

"We have conveyed this to our central leaders including Rahul ji and Sonia Gandhi. We have made a request to them over the issue," he said.

Mir was appointed J&K Congress chief in March, 2015, but the state unit has been battling an infighting for a long time, with a group owing allegiance to senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Several Azad faction leaders had resigned their posts in support of their demand pressing for a change in the leadership in J&K last year.

Saroori, a staunch Azad loyalist, said both the groups are against the name that was reported by the media as the next state Congress chief.

"He is the most junior of all.I do not know who is with him."

"Neither any leader from Kashmir nor from Jammu has acceptance over his name. None of the six sitting MLAs is with him. Just talk to anyone," the former Minister said.

Batting strongly for a consensus name, he said there are several senior and young leaders in the party suited for the post and appointing the MLA will further deteriorate the state of affairs.

"We want the party to be strengthened. Groupism should end. We want the party to face elections with a strong leadership in J&K. But what can he do in elections? He is not acceptable to us," Saroori said.

Amid the ongoing trouble, the Congress high command is believed to be in touch with the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to iron out factional differences, before Assembly elections are announced.