Azad appointed general secretary in-charge of UP

Congress veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kamal Nath were on Sunday appointed general secretaries in-charge of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, a move seen as precursor to a major organisational shake-up in the party ahead of the assembly polls in the two states next year.

While Azad, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has been party general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh twice before, Nath will look after Haryana apart from Punjab, party General Secretary Janaradan Dwivedi said.

Madhusudan Mistry, who was hitherto looking after Uttar Pradesh, will be the new general secretary in-charge of the Central Election Committee, while Shakeel Ahmed, in-charge of Punjab and Haryana, has been relieved of the charge, Dwivedi. Congress president Sonia Gandhi effected the changes a day after the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, which saw cross voting by some party MLAs in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul's birthday in focus

June 19 is Rahul Gandhi's birthday. Usually, Congressmen seize anniversaries and birthdays as a way to seeking access to their leaders. Sonia Gandhi has always ducked this by mourning someone or the other on her birthday and advised Congressmen not to come calling. Now, amid the buzz that the junior Gandhi is going to be elevated, what will Congressmen do? How will they show their fealty to the incoming king and hope that it is noted for future reference? Look to see the contortions on June 19.

Congress crosses 1 mn followers on Twitter

Congress has crossed a million followers on Twitter, a milestone for the party, which was seen as a social media laggard till recently. "Thank you everybody for making us reach one million. This is just the beginning," the opposition party said on its Twitter handle INC INDIA on Saturday. "Meelon chale aaye hai, Meelon abhi jana hai (We have travelled miles and miles more we have to go)," it said. The BJP had effectively used the social media during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to create the Narendra Modi 'magic' among the educated youth and the middle class.

Jaya's rare visit to Delhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday at 4.45 pm. Jayalalithaa does not travel out of Tamil Nadu much. Her Delhi trip is also rare, so, the visit is a landmark of sorts. Among the issues on the plate is whether her party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, will join the central government.

If it does, the passage of the goods and services tax (GST) Bill is assured.