Congress set to announce Gujarat state in-charge this week

With the Gujarat assembly elections expected next year, the principal opposition party, the Congress, is expected to announce its state in-charge this week. The names of senior Congress leaders Avinash Pandey and BK Hariprasad are doing the rounds as prospective candidates.

Party sources maintain that the high command is less likely to do any experimentation on the appointment of the Gujarat in-charge as assembly elections are drawing close and it cannot afford to face another defeat as seen during the civic body polls held early this year. Congress in-charge for Gujarat, Rajiv Satav (46), had died of Covid last month.

“It is more than likely that the high command will appoint someone senior leader with experience in Gujarat rather than bring in someone new,” a senior party functionary said.


Senior party sources maintain that Rajasthan chief minister and former Gujarat Congress in-charge Ashok Gehlot will have a significant role in the electioneering process. For Gehlot, the task will be all the more challenging because of the absence of Ahmed Patel, on the one hand, and the consecutive electoral debacles of the party in Gujarat on the other. So, the party high command may ease out his work by appointing someone close to him to ensure smooth functioning.

“The appointment is likely to be made from a neighbouring state or from Delhi,” said a senior party leader adding that while Pandey has been an associate of Gehlot and shares extensive relations with the workers in the state, BK Hariprasad has worked with the state unit and is available for a fresh assignment at this point.