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India

Gujarat Congress appoints seven working presidents ahead of state polls

The new working presidents include Jignesh Mevani, who represents the Scheduled Castes, and Chotila MLA Rutvik Makwana and MLA Ambarish Der, both representing the OBC community.

Dilip Singh Kshatriya

AHMEDABAD: After a meeting with the Congress brass in New Delhi on Monday, the Gujarat unit of the party has started making new appointments for various posts.

A day after the Congress announced 37 in-charges for Gujarat’s 26 Lok Sabha seats, the party on Thursday appointed seven new working presidents, in an attempt to shift the caste equation towards itself before the Assembly elections.

The new working presidents include Jignesh Mevani, who represents the Scheduled Castes, and Chotila MLA Rutvik Makwana and MLA Ambarish Der, both representing the OBC community.

Kadir Pirzada, considered a close aid of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, is from the Muslim community while Indravijay Sinh Gohil is a Rajput who represents the upper caste.

The list also includes Hardik Patel’s close friend, Lalit Kagathara, who belongs to the Patidar community, while Himmat Singh is from the Hindi-speaking belt.

Earlier, Gujarat Congress had only one working president and the post was lying vacant since Hardik Patel resigned and joined the BJP over a month ago.

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