NEW DELHI: Signalling an organisational reshuffle ahead of the 2024 elections, the Congress on Friday appointed Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil as the new Gujarat PCC president. “The Congress president has appointed Shaktisinh Gohil as the new Gujarat PCC president and V Vaithilingam, MP, as the new Puducherry PCC president,” said the party in official communication.
The appointment of Gohil as the new Gujarat PCC chief assumes significance as the grand old party put up the worst-ever performance in the last assembly elections.
Gohil has replaced Jagdish Thakor, who had resigned after the party registered its lowest-ever tally in the assembly polls. Gohil was a former leader of the Opposition in Gujarat during PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as chief minister of the state.
By appointing Gohil, who is considered close to Rahul Gandhi, the party is seeking to strengthen the organization in the home state of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The Congress has remained out of power in Gujarat for over two-and-a-half decades.
The party said that Deepak Babaria will replace Gohil as the AICC in charge of Haryana and Delhi. “The Congress president has appointed Deepak Babaria as AICC in-charge of Haryana and Delhi with immediate effect,” said a statement.
The appointments may be a precursor to the new Congress Working Committee (CWC), which has been pending for months. Top leaders said that the CWC will be announced after the Karnataka Assembly election. At the plenary session of the party in Raipur in February, the Steering Committee authorized party president Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate his new team instead of holding elections to CWC.
The party had also effected changes in poll-bound Telangana with the Congress chief appointing Mansoor Ali Khan as secretary, AICC attached to the AICC in charge of Telangana with immediate effect. Besides, P C Vishnunadh, secretary, of AICC is relieved from his current responsibility in Karnataka and is now attached to the AICC in charge of Telangana. “The party appreciates the contributions of N S Boseraju and Nadeem Javed and relieves them of their responsibilities as secretaries of AICC,” the party said.
