Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday appointed former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to head the party in Andhra Pradesh, according to a press statement issued by the party. Congress spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi was put in charge of the party in West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
“I was appointed due to my vast experience and I am confident of bringing Congress back to Andhra Pradesh,” Chandy told The News Minute. He will replace Digvijaya Singh, who has been appointed as the chairperson of the Madhya Pradesh Congress campaign committee.
Chandy, who served two terms as chief minister of Kerala, is scheduled to meet Rahul Gandhi next week.
Chandy’s appointment comes ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh set to take place in 2019. The Congress had failed to win a single seat in Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha elections in 2014, after the bifurcation of Telangana.
Gogoi, who is the son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and an MP from Kaliabor constituency, will replace CP Joshi, who holds charge of all states in the Northeast.
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