Rahul Gandhi's ex-AAP Dalit pick Rajendra Pal Gautam made AICC in-charge of UP

New Delhi: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday night named former AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam, a Dalit and a favourite of party leader Rahul Gandhi these days, as the AICC in-charge of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. This move coincides with Team Rahul's efforts to woo Dalits of the State, by blowing hot and cold on the electorally weakened BSP. Gautam , who was once a junior functionary of BSP, recently went uninvited to the house of Mayawati only to be denied a meeting by the BSP chief. Gautam, who is head of AICC Dalit cel, replaces Avinash Pandey. Gautam joined Congress after his forced exit from AAP.

Gautam and former Janata Dal functionary Anil Jai Hind were the main movers of Rahul Gandhi's 'social justice plank' during the recent Bihar election.

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Former Youth Congress president V Srinivas has been made head of Congress Seva Dal. He succeeds Lalji Desai, who has been made in charge of Odisha. He replaced Ajay Kumar Lallu, a loyalist of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Sanjay Dutt becomes AICC incharge of Haryana, filling the vacancy caused by his predecessor B K Hariprasad becoming Karnataka PCC president.