Soon after his appointment as the Congress general secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh replacing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Avinash Pande on Saturday said he will build on Priyanka’s legacy and will give his best.
In a post on his X, Pande said: “With boundless gratitude for the confidence placed in me by Congress president Kharge ji, Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi ji, our leader Rahul Gandhi ji, and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal ji, and with an unswerving resolve to honour that trust, I humbly accept the appointment as the General Secretary Incharge of Uttar Pradesh.”
“Priyanka Gandhi ji, I resolve to build upon your legacy. As General Secretary Incharge, I will make the most of the authority invested in my position and the mandate given to me,” he further said. On his previous role in Jharkhand, he said: “I wish to extend my deepest respect and appreciation to all the leaders and Jharkhand Congress workers and people of the State of Jharkhand for their strong support and love throughout.”
Avinash Pande, 65, has been a Youth Congress leader and held the post of general secretary in the Indian Youth Congress when Maninder Singh Bitta was the Youth Congress chief. He also had been an MLC in Maharashtra. In 2008, he unsuccessfully contested Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra against industrialist Rahul Bajaj.
{{/usCountry}}Avinash Pande, 65, has been a Youth Congress leader and held the post of general secretary in the Indian Youth Congress when Maninder Singh Bitta was the Youth Congress chief. He also had been an MLC in Maharashtra. In 2008, he unsuccessfully contested Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra against industrialist Rahul Bajaj.
{{/usCountry}}Later, when he nominated by the Congress for Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in 2010, he was elected unopposed. He had been the general secretary incharge of Jharkhand Congress since January last year.
Welcoming Pande’s appointment, UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai in a statement issued by UPCC said, “Avanish Pande ji is a senior and experienced leader in the Congress and under his guidance and leadership, we will make Congress succeed in 2024 (LS polls) in UP in an unprecedented manner”.
UPCC spokesperson CP Rai said: “For all practical purposes, Priyanka ji had already withdrawn herself from Uttar Pradesh in-charge responsibilities for her larger role and responsibility nationwide. Priyanka ji is a very big leader and she had worked hard and strengthened the party and had enthused the cadre in her role as the UP incharge.”
“Because she had always been busy countrywide, she obviously couldn’t be as accessible as the new incharge Avinash Pande could be. So we hope that Avinash ji will further strengthen the party,” Rai added.