PATNA: Congress on Saturday appointed senior party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan as the new leader of the Congress legislative party in Bihar, replacing present incumbent Ajit Sharma. The party convened a special meeting of its MLAs and MLCs at the state unit headquarters, Sadaqat Ashram, where Khan was elected to the post unanimously. The party high command was authorised to appoint the CLP leader, and added a party source.
The special meeting was chaired by state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Only eight out of the party’s total 19 MLAs participated in the meeting, including AICC in-charge of Bihar Bhakta Charan Das while his predecessor Shakti Sinh Gohil was present in the capacity of the observer. Senior party leader Tariq Anwar also participated in the meeting.
Senior Congress leader and MLC Premchandra Mishra said that the party had decided to change ex-CLP leader Sharma after appointing Singh as state party president since both leaders belonged to the Bhumihar caste.
He said that his party believed in giving representation to all social groups and therefore, they made the change. To replace Sharma as CLP leader is not a sudden decision, he asserted. In Sharma’s absence, the party said he couldn’t attend the meeting as it was called on short notice.
