Digvijaya loses last AICC role, replaced by Chandy as Andhra Pradesh in-charge

Digvijaya Singh was no longer a Congress general secretary, with party president Rahul Gandhi today divesting him of the charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh.

Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, was earlier removed as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Goa, Karnataka and Telangana.

The Congress president appointed former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as the AICC general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh, in place of Singh, according to a party statement.

Singh's role as AICC in-charge of Goa came in for criticism when the party failed to stake its claim for government formation and lost out to the BJP despite emerging as the single-largest party.

Seventy-one-year-old Singh was recently appointed the chairman of the Congress's coordination committee for Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls in a few months.

Besides Chandy, the Congress president appointed party spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi as the party's in-charge of West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, replacing AICC general secretary C P Joshi.

Gogoi is the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

The party appreciates the hard work and contribution of Digvijaya Singh, who will be stepping down from his responsibility as AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, a statement from party general secretary (organisation) Ashok Gehlot said.

He also said that the party appreciates the hard work and contribution of C P Joshi, who would be stepping down from his responsibility as AICC general secretary in-charge of West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The changes will be enforced with immediate effect, the party said.

Today's changes are part of Rahul Gandhi's efforts to restructure the Congress party by bringing in some new and young faces and infuse fresh energy in the party's ranks ever since he took over command in December last.