Ashok Gehlot appointed as Congress general secretary ahead of Rajasthan polls

Ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the Congress party on Friday appointed senior party leader Ashok Gehlot as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge, organisation, training.

Gehlot, a two-time Rajasthan chief minister succeeded senior Congress leader Janardan Dwiwedi, who took charge from Veerappa Moily in 2009.

The move to promote Gehlot in the party came ahead of Assembly elections in his home state Rajasthan and seen as a stamp on Sachin Pilot’s name as Congress party’s chief ministerial candidate.

Sachin Pilot is currently the chairman of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).

Gehlot is considered loyalist to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and was earlier entrusted to the responsibility as AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat during Assembly elections in 2017.

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According to the Congress sources, the 66-year-old leader will now be given the charge of Rajasthan Assembly elections where he has already started campaigning.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi appointed MP Rajeev Satav as in-charge of the party’s affairs in Gujarat and former union minister Jitendra Singh as its man in charge of Odisha.

Rahul also appointed Lalji Desai as the chief organiser of the All India Congress Seva Dal, replacing Mahendra Joshi.