Congress seniors shown the door

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday effected important changes in the party by bringing in new faces and relieving the old guard of important positions.

Party veteran Janardan Dwivedi was replaced by former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot as the AICC general secretary in charge of organisation and training.

The Congress chief also appointed Rajeev Satav as the in-charge of Gujarat and Jitendra Singh as the in-charge of Odisha.

Mr. Dwivedi is stepping down as party general secretary after an innings of over two decades. He had also headed the party’s communication department and was in charge of key States like Haryana.

Mr. Dwivedi was also part of a four-member committee that was managing the day-to-day running of the party in the absence of Sonia Gandhi as the then Congress president, when she went abroad for treatment.

A note from the Congress president said, “The party appreciates the hard work and contribution of Janardan Dwivedi, who will be stepping down from his responsibility as AICC general secretary.”

Mr. Satav worked with Mr. Gehlot during the crucial Gujarat elections last year and has been rewarded for his role in Congress' impressive performance.

The same is the case with Mr. Gehlot, who had played a crucial role in revamping the party in the run-up to Gujarat Assembly polls. But with elections in Rajasthan approaching later this year, his appointment in a well-entrenched party post could be open to interpretation.

This is a set of important appointments after the Congress Plenary that was held in Delhi between March 16 and 18.

In another order, Mr. Gandhi appointed Lalji Desai as the chief organiser of the All India Congress Seva Dal, replacing Mahendra Joshi who held the post for a long time.

The changes are part of a major revamp including a new-look Central Working Committee (CWC) that is in the offing. Mr. Gandhi plans to overhaul the party structure to become battle ready to take on the BJP in 2019.