Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken.
Credit: PTI Photo
Senior leader Ajay Maken was on Sunday appointed as the new Treasurer of the Congress, just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, for which the party will be mobilising funds with more vigour in the coming months.
Maken's appointment was cleared by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, as the latter chose to replace former minister and senior leader Pawan Kumar Bansal from the post.
The party appreciates the contribution of the outgoing treasurer Bansal, said a statement by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, who announced Maken's appointment. Bansal was appointed as interim Treasurer in November 2020 after the death of Ahmed Patel.
The 59-year-old Maken, who is considered close to Rahul Gandhi, was nominated to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) by Kharge in August, and there has been speculation that he is likely to become the money manager of the party.
Maken, who is presently in Raipur attending the Chhattisgarh Screening Committee meeting, said this is "indeed a significant responsibility" and thanked Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal for "placing trust" in him.
"I assure both my leaders and the workers of our party that as a custodian of their contributions, I will work with the utmost diligence, honesty, and dedication," he posted on 'X'.
With Bansal not making into the main body, sources said, it was clear that Kharge was looking for a new man to become the Treasurer and he chose Maken, who had requested the Congress leader to relieve him as General Secretary in-charge of Rajasthan earlier. Bansal, as of now, will continue to be in charge of AICC administration.
Sources said Maken was upset with the Congress leadership not taking disciplinary action against leaders who "sabotaged" a Congress Legislature Party meeting in Jaipur to initiate the process of leadership change in the Rajasthan government as Ashok Gehlot was then tipped to take over as Congress chief.
Maken, the nephew of late Lalit Maken and a former Delhi Speaker and state Minister, as well as Union Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, is considered a prominent leader in the party whom Rahul considers as part of his team. A two-term MP and three-term MLA, he was also Delhi Congress chief. He had first become an MLA at the age of 29.
The Congress leadership wanted to send him to the Rajya Sabha through Haryana, but cross-voting by a couple of party MLAs had shut his doors to the Upper House.