Digvijay removed as Cong. in-charge of Goa, poll-bound Karnataka

Ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Karnataka in 2018, one of the few States in which the Congress is still in power, the party leadership replaced senior leader Digvijaya Singh as in-charge of the State on Saturday with K.C. Venugopal.

And in what is being read as a reflection of Mr. Singh’s failure to put together a Congress government in Goa, where the party had emerged ahead of its rivals recently (though short of a majority), Mr Singh has been replaced by party secretary Dr. A. Chella Kumar.

While it was not clear whether Mr Digvijaya Singh will remain general secretary, Mr. Venugopal, the 54-year-old Kerala MP and Deputy Chief Whip of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, is clearly a rising star and has been elevated to the post of general secretary. In the case of Goa, Dr. Chella Kumar, the 56-year-old former MLA from Tamil Nadu remains a Secretary.

Along with these two appointments, four secretaries have been appointed for Karnataka — former MPs Madhu Goud Yashki and Manickam Tagore, P.C. Vishnunadh and Dr Sake Sailjanath.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son, Amit Deshmukh has been appointed secretary for Goa.