All India Congress Committee on Monday effected changes in Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee replacing Ponnala Lakshmaiah and naming former Minister N.Uttam Kumar Reddy as the new state unit president.
Former Deputy Speaker and CLP secretary Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has been appointed working president, a post held by Mr. Uttam.
A press release issued by the AICC said that party president Sonia Gandhi has appointed five new PCC chiefs and one regional Congress Committee president. New presidents were named for Telangana, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Gujarat. The release said Mr. Uttam Kumar would be the president while Mr. Bhatti has been made the working president.
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Ahead of the announcement, outgoing PCC chief Mr. Ponnala and CLP leader K. Jana Reddy met Ms. Gandhi in Parliament. There was no word on what role the high command would entrust to Mr. Ponnala, who is urging the leadership to consider him for the MLC post.
Fifty-two-year-old Uttam Kumar Reddy is a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot and represents the Huzurnagar constituency in Nalgonda District. He is fourth time legislator and served as Minister in Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet. Ahead of the general elections last year, the party leadership had named him as the working president while appointing Mr. Ponnala as the chief.
Mr. Bhatti, a dalit legislator from Madhira constituency in Khammam is the CLP secretary. In the previous Congress Government, he served as the Deputy Speaker and Chief Whip too. The 51-year-old three time legislator is a post graduate from Hyderabad Central University.
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Party leaders said changes at the top level had become inevitable as the State Congress unit had failed to confront the TRS Government on several issues concerning the common man.
Party cadres were vocal that the leadership had failed to give them direction to rebuild the party while the central leaders time and again warned the seniors to put up a united show.