Gehlot to replace Dwivedi in AICC rejig

In a major reshuffle, the Congress on Friday replaced its General Secretary Organisation, Janardhan Dwivedi, with former chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot.

Since Rahul Gandhi took over as the party’s president, he has been making changes in the organisation, but this is, by far, the biggest one to come into effect.

Mr Gehlot was entrusted with the charge of Gujarat when the state was about to go to polls. The party’s performance in the state was its best since 1984. Recognising the organisational strengths of Mr Gehlot, he has been moved to one of the top most posts in the AICC hierarchy.

General Secretary Organisation is responsible for all appointments, including convening the apex decisionmaking body of the party, the Congress Working Committee.

Mr Dwivedi, who retired from the Rajya Sabha in January this year, signed the official order of the appointment of Mr Gehlot in his place.

Mr Gandhi has also appointed MP Rajeev Satav as in- charge of the party’s affairs in Gujarat and former Union minister Jitendra Singh as its man incharge of Odisha. In another order, Mr Gandhi appointed Lalji Desai as the chief organiser of All India Congress Seva Dal, replacing Mehendra

Joshi. The Seva Dal is the party’s frontal organisation.

Next in line are going to be some of the state Congress chiefs. The Gujarat Congress chief, Bharatsinh Solanki, has already been replaced by Amit Chavda. Insiders indicate state units chiefs of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will also be replaced soon, paving way for newcomers.

But the real wait in the Congress is the appointment of the new Working Committee. In the recently concluded AICC plenary session it was decided to let the Congress president select his own working committee.