<p>In a big organisational shake-up, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh was on Saturday divested of the charge of Karnataka and Goa. Singh has been replaced by former Union minister K C Venugopal, a trusted aide of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. While Venugopal has been tasked with winning the Karnataka Assembly polls in 2018, AICC secretary A Chella Kumar has been given charge of Goa.<br /> <br />Severe criticism<br />Singh’s handling of the just-concluded Assembly elections in Goa and subsequent developments had come under severe criticism from within the party.<br /><br />Besides Venugopal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed four AICC secretaries to supervise election preparations in Karnataka — former Telangana MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, former Tamil Nadu MP Manickam Tagore, former Kerala MLA P C Vishnunadh and former Andhra Pradesh minister Sake Sailajanath.<br /><br />These appointments, according to AICC sources, signalled a strong message to the rank and file in Karnataka to gear up for the election, which “would have to be won at any cost”.<br /><br />Venugopal, a Lok Sabha member from the Alappuzha Parliamentary seat in Kerala, is among the most regular faces of the Congress in the Lower House.<br /><br />Sources said Singh will continue to be general secretary in charge of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.<br />The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Goa in the February elections, but could not form the government as the BJP walked away with its pre-poll allies.<br /><br />These changes come at a time when the party has been buoyed by the Nanjangud and Gundlupet bypoll results, which has strengthened Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s prospects in the state.<br /><br />In Goa, Chella Kumar will be assisted by Amit Deshmukh, the son of former Maharashtra chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh. Interestingly, Kumar was Singh’s deputy in Goa and Karnataka.<br /><br />AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry was also dropped from the post as he was made member of the Central Organisational Election Authority, with Mullappally Ramachandran as its chairman.<br /><br />General secretary Janardan Dwivedi made it clear that since Mistry had become member of the election authority, he will not hold any organisational post as per the party constitution.<br /><br />The new appointments indicate Rahul’s team is put in key posts ahead of the much anticipated transition of power in the Congress.<br /><br />The new team will have to take a call on whether a new Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president has to be appointed in place of Home Minister G Parameshwara.<br /><br />Another challenge for the team would be to pick winning candidates in Karnataka and help the Congress make a comeback since its string of losses after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.<br /><br />Earlier this week, Ashok Gehlot was appointed AICC general secretary and given the charge of poll-bound Gujarat. He replaced Gurudas Kamat.</p>
<p>In a big organisational shake-up, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh was on Saturday divested of the charge of Karnataka and Goa. Singh has been replaced by former Union minister K C Venugopal, a trusted aide of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi. While Venugopal has been tasked with winning the Karnataka Assembly polls in 2018, AICC secretary A Chella Kumar has been given charge of Goa.<br /> <br />Severe criticism<br />Singh’s handling of the just-concluded Assembly elections in Goa and subsequent developments had come under severe criticism from within the party.<br /><br />Besides Venugopal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed four AICC secretaries to supervise election preparations in Karnataka — former Telangana MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, former Tamil Nadu MP Manickam Tagore, former Kerala MLA P C Vishnunadh and former Andhra Pradesh minister Sake Sailajanath.<br /><br />These appointments, according to AICC sources, signalled a strong message to the rank and file in Karnataka to gear up for the election, which “would have to be won at any cost”.<br /><br />Venugopal, a Lok Sabha member from the Alappuzha Parliamentary seat in Kerala, is among the most regular faces of the Congress in the Lower House.<br /><br />Sources said Singh will continue to be general secretary in charge of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.<br />The Congress had emerged as the single largest party in Goa in the February elections, but could not form the government as the BJP walked away with its pre-poll allies.<br /><br />These changes come at a time when the party has been buoyed by the Nanjangud and Gundlupet bypoll results, which has strengthened Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s prospects in the state.<br /><br />In Goa, Chella Kumar will be assisted by Amit Deshmukh, the son of former Maharashtra chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh. Interestingly, Kumar was Singh’s deputy in Goa and Karnataka.<br /><br />AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry was also dropped from the post as he was made member of the Central Organisational Election Authority, with Mullappally Ramachandran as its chairman.<br /><br />General secretary Janardan Dwivedi made it clear that since Mistry had become member of the election authority, he will not hold any organisational post as per the party constitution.<br /><br />The new appointments indicate Rahul’s team is put in key posts ahead of the much anticipated transition of power in the Congress.<br /><br />The new team will have to take a call on whether a new Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president has to be appointed in place of Home Minister G Parameshwara.<br /><br />Another challenge for the team would be to pick winning candidates in Karnataka and help the Congress make a comeback since its string of losses after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.<br /><br />Earlier this week, Ashok Gehlot was appointed AICC general secretary and given the charge of poll-bound Gujarat. He replaced Gurudas Kamat.</p>
