Srinagar, Aug 16: All India Congress Committee (AICC) has announced the appointment of Tariq Hameed Karra as the new president of the Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC), effective immediately. Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla have been appointed as Working Presidents.
Vikar Rasool Wani, the former JKPCC Chief, has been named Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee, effective immediately.
As part of this reshuffle, Tariq Hameed Karra will be relieved of his current role as Permanent Invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
Born in 1955 in Srinagar, Karra began his political career as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). However, in 2004, he left the JKNC due to differences with the party leadership and joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which was emerging as a strong political force in the valley.
Karra’s first major electoral victory came in the 2004 assembly elections when he contested from the Batamaloo constituency in Srinagar. His victory was seen as a significant achievement, as he won by a comfortable margin, defeating strong contenders from established political parties.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Karra made headlines again when he won the Srinagar parliamentary seat, defeating Dr Farooq Abdullah, a political heavyweight and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. His victory highlighted his growing influence in the region. This win was particularly noteworthy as it was achieved during a time of significant political and social unrest in the valley.
Karra’s tenure in the Lok Sabha was marked by his vocal stance on various issues affecting Jammu and Kashmir. However, in 2016, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and the PDP, citing differences with the party leadership over the handling of the situation in Kashmir during the unrest that year.
