Senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik was relieved of his duties as general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Jai Prakash Agarwal was appointed as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of the State.
A statement from the party’s general secretary (organisation), K.C. Venugopal said: ”Hon’ble Congress President has accepted the request of Shri Mukul Wasnik to relieve him from his current responsibility as General Secretary Incharge of Madhya Pradesh, so that he can oversee other organisational matters...Shri Mukul Wasnik will continue as General Secretary, AICC.”
The move has led to speculation if Mr. Wasnik could get an elevation with bigger responsibilities as the announcement also comes weeks before the election process to appoint a new president starts on September 22.
Though Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is seen as a frontrunner for the post, backed by the Gandhis, Mr. Wasnik's name has also figured in recent times.
In 2019, soon after Rahul Gandhi had resigned from the party president's post, Mr. Wasnik was favoured by a section of party leaders as he not only had organisational experience but also belonged to the Scheduled Caste community.
Mr. Wasnik was also among the G-23 leaders or the ginger group that has been pushing for internal reforms. With G-23 leaders like Shashi Tharoor considering contesting the elections if no Gandhi contests, Mr. Wasnik could be emerge as someone to build a consensus.
Earlier, the Congress had already announced that the schedule for the party chief's election has already been announced and anyone who wants to contest should file the nomination before September 30.
