Delhi Congress may get new chief soon as Ajay Maken desires to step down due to health issues

NEW DELHI: Delhi Congress may see a change in guard soon with state unit chief Ajay Maken expressing his desire to step down at the earliest citing persistent health problems.

Sources close to Maken said he met party in-charge for Delhi affairs, P C Chacko, on Monday and communicated that his health was not permitting him to continue as Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president.

Though Chacko denied that Maken had requested to be relieved, he confirmed that the DPCC president was unwell and the party will have to make an alternative decision soon. “Congress president Rahul Gandhi is currently travelling and I will meet him when he is back in Delhi. There are several issues to discuss and Delhi (leadership) is one of them. But Maken continues to be the Delhi Congress chief as of now,” Chacko told TOI.


As Lok Sabha elections are less than six months away, finding a new chief is one of the top priorities for the party leadership. The names being discussed include former CM Sheila Dikshit, former MP Mahabal Mishra, former Delhi assembly speaker Yoganand Shastri and former MLA Devendra Yadav, said a party functionary privy to the developments.