The process to appoint the new Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president has been put on hold after complaints of irregularities surfaced during the recently concluded organisational elections. The final announcement, initially expected on Monday, is now likely to be made only after the Congress high command completes an internal probe into the allegations.
Party sources said, interviews of the top three contenders — Yash Ghanghoriya, Abhishek Parmar, and Devendra Dadu — were conducted in New Delhi on Sunday by National Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib, national incharge Manish Sharma, and Madhya Pradesh in-charge CV Chouhan.
Ghanghoriya, son of Congress MLA and ex-minister Lakhan Ghanghoriya, had emerged as the front-runner in the digital voting process, followed by Abhishek Parmar from Bhopal and Devendra Dadu from Sidhi. The elections saw the participation of over 15 lakh registered members, making it one of the largest intra-party democratic exercises in the State unit.
However, sources said the announcement of the new Youth Congress president, initially expected by Monday, has been withheld following complaints of vote discrepancies and procedural lapses. The party leadership has decided to verify the complaints before confirming the appointment. The final decision is now likely to be announced by November 12 or 13.
Before the interviews, several candidates reportedly raised concerns about the conduct of the polls, alleging large-scale rejection and holding of votes. Out of the total ballots cast, over 8.5 lakh votes were either rejected or held, prompting a review of the digital voting process managed by a Bengaluru-based agency, which now finds itself under scrutiny. When contacted, Abhishek Parmar told The Pioneer that he had appeared for the interview and described the interaction as cordial. “The interview went well, and I have returned to Bhopal. I am not aware of any other developments,” he said.
Meanwhile, the issue has drawn political attention, with BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang alleging large-scale irregularities in the Youth Congress elections. Addressing the media on Sunday, Sarang accused Congress of ‘vote theft’ within its own organisation,” claiming that lakhs of votes were manipulated to favour particular candidates. He also alleged that the party collected `7.5 crore through registration fees and another `1 crore from contesting candidates, calling the election process “a mockery of internal democracy.”
Congress leaders, however, remained tight-lipped, saying that the matter was being handled at the national level. “The high command is examining the complaints objectively before finalising the appointment,” a party insider said.
The Youth Congress election, conducted under the supervision of the All-India Youth Congress team, was part of a nationwide organisational renewal drive aimed at promoting young leadership through transparent digital voting. The temporary hold on the MP president’s appointment has, however, sparked fresh debate over internal transparency and fairness within the party’s youth wing.
