NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday appointed Sachin Pilot as its new general secretary in-charge of Punjab, replacing Bhupesh Baghel, in a move that comes amid prolonged factionalism in the state unit and preparations for the 2027 Assembly election.
Pilot, who was serving as the party's general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh, takes over Punjab a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi chaired a crucial meeting with the state leadership in Delhi in a bid to forge unity in the state unit.
The meeting, attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, focused on resolving differences among senior Punjab leaders. The party is also learnt to be weighing changes to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), while Rahul Gandhi's proposed bus yatra is being planned as part of its campaign preparations.
Baghel, who was handling Punjab, has been shifted to Assam as general secretary in-charge. The changes, approved by Kharge, take effect immediately, an official release issued by the party said.
In another major change, the party has appointed Randeep Singh Surjewala as general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, while retaining his responsibility for Karnataka. Sukhdeo Bhagat has been given charge of Chhattisgarh, Sirivella Prasad will oversee Maharashtra and PV Mohan will be responsible for Andhra Pradesh.
The latest appointments signal a wider organisational reshuffle as the Congress seeks to strengthen its state units ahead of key electoral battles.
The party also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing general secretaries/in-charges Jitendra Singh, Ramesh Chennithala and Manickam Tagore. Mukul Wasnik will continue as AICC general secretary, having previously been in charge of Gujarat.