Nath removed as MP chief after poll defeat

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday removed senior leader Kamal Nath as the chief of the Madhya Pradesh unit after the party suffered a drubbing in the recent state elections and appointed Jitu Patwari, 50, in his place, heralding a generational shift.

The rejig in the state unit came days after Kharge expressed his disappointment over the MP poll result to Nath during a meeting in Delhi and told him that a large section of party leaders want him to step down as the chief of the MP unit after the party’s poor performance.

“Hon’ble Congress President has appointed Shri Jitu Patwari as the president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect. The party appreciates the contributions of outgoing PCC President, Shri Kamal Nath. Hon’ble Congress President has also approved the proposal of the appointment of Shri Umang Singhar, as the CLP leader and Shri Hemant Katare as the deputy leader of Madhya Pradesh,” said a communique issued by party general secretary KC Venugopal.