Senior Cong. Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad Quits Congress

He was appointed as Chairman of the Party's campaign committee

Cong. faces a loss as Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was long upset with the party, has resigned from a key party post in Jammu and Kashmir, signaling a revolt within. Made the chairman of the party's campaign committee, he stepped down shortly after his appointment. He has also resigned from the party's Jammu and Kashmir political affairs committee.

According to the sources, the Cong. leader Azad saw the appointment as a demotion as he is already a member of the party's all-India political affairs committee. A veteran leader, he is also a former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state, served as a union minister and held many important party posts. He was also one of the groups of 23 leaders who wrote an explosive letter to party Chief Sonia Gandhi two years ago, seeking organizational changes.

It seems that the resignation of Mr. Azad came shortly after his close aide, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, was dropped from the post of the chief of the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit. Mr. Mir stepped down last month.

The party had effected a thorough organizational shake-up in the Union Territory and appointed Vikar Rasool Wani in place of Mr. Mir.

In an official report by the news agency PTI, the Cong. convenor, formed the campaign committee, political affairs committee, coordination committee, manifesto committee, publicity and publication committee, disciplinary committee and Pradesh election committee with immediate effect.

The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held after the finalisation of electoral rolls and the completion of the delimitation exercise. There is, however, concern that the polls cannot be held this year as delimitation and electoral roll revision cannot be completed before the deep winter sets in.