AHMEDABAD: Newly appointed Gujarat Congress in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Singh Surjewala arrived in Gujarat on Saturday for his first visit since taking charge, signalling the Congress high command’s renewed push to rebuild the party ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
His arrival follows the removal of Mukul Wasnik from the Gujarat in-charge post, amid growing concerns over the party’s organisational performance.
Welcomed at Ahmedabad Airport with a traditional turban ceremony and a tribal dance performance, Surjewala immediately stepped into a packed schedule of political meetings at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan.
The visit is expected to set the tone for a major organisational exercise in the Gujarat Congress.
Organisation Revamp Tops Surjewala’s Agenda
Throughout the day, Surjewala is scheduled to meet state office bearers, city and district Congress presidents, heads of various cells and departments, and party MLAs.
The discussions will centre on strengthening the organisation, energising grassroots workers and restoring the Congress’s political momentum across Gujarat.
The timing is significant because the party has yet to finalise its new organisational team, despite repeated visits by Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda to Delhi.
With the organisational restructuring still pending, Surjewala’s appointment has triggered expectations of major changes in the state unit.
His immediate challenge is to rebuild a party organisation capable of taking on the BJP in the 2027 Assembly elections. However, the Congress will also have to address internal weaknesses, revive worker morale and strengthen its presence at the district and booth levels.
Surjewala Invokes Bapu, Sardar Patel and Congress Ideology
Speaking after his arrival, Surjewala positioned Gujarat as the ideological heartland of the Congress and linked his new assignment to the party’s historical roots.
“Gujarat is the land of Bapu and Sardar Patel, and the ideology of the Congress originated here. For the Gujarat Congress and the Indian National Congress, Gujarat is not merely a state but a source of inspiration. We will further strengthen the path of Gujarat’s creation, progress, development and communal harmony,” Surjewala said.
The statement underlines the political significance the Congress attaches to Gujarat, where the party has struggled to regain its footing against the BJP’s long-standing dominance.
Wasnik’s Exit Exposes Leadership Discontent
According to Congress sources, the high command had expressed dissatisfaction with Mukul Wasnik’s working style. Sources alleged that Wasnik’s brief visits to Gujarat failed to provide the sustained leadership required to strengthen the party’s grassroots organisation.
The criticism centres on an alleged routine in which Wasnik would arrive in Ahmedabad on a 2 pm flight and return to Delhi on the 7 PM flight, limiting his time for extensive organisational engagement.
Congress insiders claim that this approach contributed to the weakening of the party’s ground-level network. The discontent reportedly intensified after the favourable political atmosphere generated during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra failed to translate into electoral gains.
According to party sources, local leadership’s inaction weakened the momentum, culminating in a major Congress setback in the local body elections.
‘Racehorses’ Versus ‘Wedding Horses’: Congress Plans Internal Sorting
With Surjewala now at the helm, the Gujarat Congress is reportedly preparing a sharper assessment of its leaders and workers. According to Congress sources, the new in-charge has been tasked with identifying “racehorse” leaders who are committed, active and capable of delivering results while separating them from “wedding horses”, a phrase used to describe leaders who create a show but deliver little on the ground.
The exercise is expected to focus on performance, grassroots commitment and electoral effectiveness. At the same time, sources claim that the high command is examining allegations of senior leaders maintaining covert political links with the BJP.
However, these allegations remain unverified, and no specific leader has been officially named or accused by the party in connection with such ties.
Co-In-Charges Under Scanner
The organisational shake-up could extend beyond the state leadership, with Congress sources speculating that co-in-charges Suhasini Yadav and Ramkishan Ojha may also face removal.
The speculation comes amid expectations that Surjewala will push for a comprehensive restructuring of the Gujarat unit. While no official announcement has confirmed their removal, the possibility reflects the wider internal churn triggered by Wasnik’s exit.
For Surjewala, the task ahead is clear: transform the Gujarat Congress from an organisation battling internal drift into a politically aggressive force capable of challenging the BJP in 2027.
Whether the proposed restructuring delivers that revival will depend on how decisively the party acts and how effectively its leadership reconnects with workers on the ground.