Ahmed Patel, Meira Kumar, Falerio get key posts in Congress reshuffle

To set the tone for the 2019 general election, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today made some changes in the party set up. The changes come a month after Rahul Gandhi restructured the party set up and dropped veterans such as Digvijaya Singh, Sushikumar Shinde, Janardhan Dwivedi and CP Joshi from the all-powerful CWC and appointed some new faces in their place.

Senior leader Ahmed Patel has been appointed the new treasurer in place of Motilal Vora.

Vora, the veteran Congress leader who was hitherto the party treasurer has been made AICC general secretary administration. It is a newly-created post to accommodate Motilal Vora. Patel, who turned 69 today, was earlier the political secretary of former party chief Sonia Gandhi. He had earlier served as the AICC treasurer from 1996 to 2000. 

Rahul Gandhi also appointed former Union minister Anand Sharma as the chairperson of the party’s foreign affairs department replacing Karan Singh, AICC general secretary, organization, Ashok Gehlot said in a statement.  Former speaker Meira Kumar was made a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party. 

Luizinho Falerio was appointed as AICC general secretary in-charge of the northeastern states, except Assam. He replaces C P Joshi, who ceases to be the party general secretary.

“The party appreciates the hard work and contribution of Motilal Vora as treasurer of the party,” Gehlot said in the statement.

In another statement, he also appreciated the contribution made by Karan Singh as chairperson of the AICC foreign affairs department and Joshi as general secretary of north-eastern states.