Mahesh Kumar Goud appointed T'gana PCC prez BC leader gets key post

     Hyderabad, Sep 6 (PTI) The Congress on Friday appointed B Mahesh Kumar Goud, a backward class leader who rose through the ranks, as the new president of its Telangana unit, replacing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
    Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed Goud as the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) with immediate effect, AICC General Secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said in a party statement.
    The party appreciates the contribution of outgoing PCC president Revanth Reddy, the statement further said.
    Revanth Reddy, who was appointed PCC president in 2021, continued in the post even after becoming the Chief Minister in December last year.
    Goud, currently serving as Working President (organisation) of TPCC and MLC, has been a Congress activist for more than three decades.
    Born in 1966, Goud was the president of National Students' Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Congress, in his native Nizamabad district between 1986 and 1990 and rose to become the PCC General Secretary in 2016.
    Goud's role in managing party affairs as Working President in-charge of organisational affairs won him accolades.
    With Goud's appointment as PCC president, the Congress leadership appears to have tried to strike a balance in caste equations. While Revanth Reddy belongs to the OC community of Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is a Dalit leader.
    Goud said he is humbled by the faith shown in him by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in appointing him as the PCC president.

    In a post on social media platform X, he also thanked Congress activists for their hard work.

    "Building on the vision set by outgoing president Shri Revanth Reddy Garu and with the guidance of our senior leaders, I look forward to uniting our efforts and taking the party to greater heights in service of Telangana’s people," he said.
    Congratulating Goud on his appointment, CM Revanth Reddy wished that the former excels in his new role and strengthens the party more at the grassroots.

    Revanth Reddy thanked the Congress leadership for reposing faith in him three years ago to lead the party and also to the workers who "fought bravely" to bring the party to power.
    TPCC senior vice-president G Niranjan said Goud's long association with the party organisation as an NSUI leader and his role as Working President (in-charge of organisation), besides being a BC leader appears to have made the party leadership appoint him as the PCC president.
    Niranjan, who welcomed Goud's appointment, said it shows Congress party's commitment to the welfare of backward classes.
    As PCC president, Goud faces the tasks of coordinating between the party's government and the organisation, besides gearing up the party for upcoming local body polls.
    Goud's appointment as PCC president puts an end to prolonged speculation on the matter as several leaders are said to have aspired for the post.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)