The Congress party has appointed Arvinder Singh Lovely as the president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), replacing Anil Chaudhary. This is Lovely’s second stint as the Delhi PCC president, which is significant considering his previous exit from the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017, only to return a few months later. His return as the PCC chief coincides with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) efforts to form an alliance with the Delhi Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Arvinder Singh Lovely, a former minister in the Sheila Dikshit-led government, had a series of victories from his East Delhi constituency until the rise of the AAP in Delhi. He served as the PCC chief from 2013 to 2015 but chose to leave the party and switch to the BJP. However, his appointment as the PCC chief this time indicates that the high command no longer considers ideological infidelity a crime, as stated by a senior Congress leader in light of some internal resistance to Lovely’s appointment.
Interestingly, after rejoining the Congress and expressing loyalty to then party president Rahul Gandhi, Lovely also joined the G23 group, which called for party reforms and challenged the high command. Following the announcement of his appointment, Lovely pledged to work towards reviving the Congress in Delhi and remarked that the people of Delhi and the country are missing the party. He expressed confidence in a bright future for the Congress in Delhi and left the decision of a possible alliance with the AAP to the high command.
The appointment of Arvinder Singh Lovely as the Delhi PCC chief showcases the party’s efforts to strengthen its presence in the city and prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Lovely’s return to the Congress after his brief stint with the BJP highlights the dynamic nature of Indian politics and the changing alliances among political parties. As the political landscape evolves, only time will tell the impact these alliances and appointments will have on the electoral outcomes.
