As Assembly Polls Draw Near, Azad, Sharma's Resignations Point to Deep Factionalism Within Congress https://thewire.in/politics/azad-sharma-resignations-congress-factionalism
In North India, the party has already lost Delhi and Punjab to AAP, failed to prevent the BJP's return to power in Haryana and Uttarakhand, and now faces infighting in its J&K and Himachal Pradesh units.
Several senior Congress leaders have openly expressed their resentment over the policy of keeping the aspirations of senior leaders in the states in check, over the last few years,
Pitting leaders against one another has cost Congress dearly -- In Haryana, for example, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda almost threatened a revolt when the pressure from former state president Ashok Tanwar grew too much. Ultimately, the party chose the experienced Hooda over Tanwar, who had to leave.
In Punjab, things went the other way when the fight between former chief minister Amarinder Singh and deputy chief minster Navjot Singh Sidhu became very public. The party chose Sidhu over the seasoned Singh, resulting in a catastrophic performance in the assembly polls earlier this year.
Ahead of the assembly elections, former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat also made his displeasure known to the party about being targeted by some central observers.