Cong releases list of office bearers for Gujarat ahead of state elections

It also included 19 Congress members who have been appointed as district Congress committee presidents.

Ahead of the December assembly elections, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Thursday night released a jumbo list of office bearers for Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).

The list has as many as 75 general secretaries and 25 vice-presidents. (File photo)

The list has as many as 75 general secretaries and 25 vice-presidents. It also included 19 Congress members who have been appointed as district Congress committee presidents. “This is the first list. In coming days, over 250 secretaries are likely to be appointed,” said an official aware of the development.

“This is the new structure of GPCC. The earlier one was scrapped two and a half years ago. It had over 500 office bearers. The new structure might reach close to that number once all the appointments are made,” the official said.

Some of the notable names in the list include former MP and All India Youth Congress president Satyajit Gaekwad. He has been appointed as the GPCC vice-president. Another Congress leader Vijay Dave, who contested from Ahmedabad’s Ellisbridge constituency in 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections and lost to BJP’s Rakesh Shah, has also been appointed as vice-president of GPCC. Dave had recently raised the issue of a large number of Congress MLAs leaving the party.

Geniben Thakor, who contested her first election in 2017 from Vav constituency in Banaskantha, defeating BJP strongman Shankar Chaudhary, is also among the newly appointed vice-presidents.

Rajkot Congress leader Indranil Rajaguru who was pitted against the then chief minister Vijay Rupani in 2017 elections, has also made it to the list of vice-presidents.

“This is the new and effective team of Congress in Gujarat that is ready to take on the challenge of 2022 assembly elections. The list includes both the youth and experienced party members,” said GPCC spokesperson Manish Doshi.