Congress appoints Ganesh Godiyal as Uttarakhand unit chief

In the press release, All India Congress Committee General Secretary K.C. Venugopal stated that "Congress President has appointed Ganesh Godiyal as the President of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect."

The party also announced the appointments of the chairmen of its Uttarakhand campaign and election management committees. Pritam Singh has been named Chairman of the Campaign Committee. Harak Singh Rawat will serve as Chairman of the Election Management Committee.

Further, the outgoing PCC President, Karan Mahara, has been appointed as a Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee. The release noted, "The party appreciates his contributions as PCC President."

Earlier, the process to appoint a new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president gathered pace, with six key contenders heading to Delhi to meet the party high command on Friday.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu confirmed that the new state Congress chief will be announced within the next ten days.

"The expansion of the party organisation will be completed within five to ten days. A new state party president will be announced within ten days," Sukhu told reporters in Shimla.

The HPCC has remained largely defunct since November 6, 2024, when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge dissolved the state, district, and block units as part of an organisational overhaul. While Pratibha Singh was retained as state president, her tenure formally ended in April this year, leaving the state unit in limbo for months.

According to party sources, the six leaders called to Delhi include Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar, Theog MLA Kuldeep Rathore, Palampur MLA Ashish Butail, Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri, and Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar. The meeting, convened by Kharge at the behest of Rahul Gandhi, will begin with a joint interaction followed by one-on-one discussions before the final decision is made.

Chief Minister Sukhu is learnt to have conveyed to the party leadership that if a Scheduled Caste (SC) leader is to be considered for the post, their selection should be prioritised. Alternatively, if a cabinet minister is chosen, the views of the state cabinet should be taken into account.

"No name has been proposed from my side," Sukhu clarified when asked about his preferences. (ANI)