Congress president Rahul Gandhi has appointed former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, pushing him to national politics after a rather long innings in Kerala.
The new assignment is considered to be an elevation for Mr. Chandy, who has been reluctant to hold any position of responsibility after the drubbing that the Congress-led United Democratic Front got in the 2016 Assembly elections.
There is nothing new in the decision of the AICC, which follows a pattern of inducting its senior State leaders, such as Ashok Gehlot, former Rajasthan Chief Minister, and others for party work at the national level.
Mr. Chandy will hold charge of Andhra Pradesh, replacing Digvijay Singh.