38-year-old Brahmin Hemant Katare and 48-year-old tribal Umang Singhar have been designated as the deputy and leader of the Congress Legislature Party, respectively, by Congress. This change in leadership comes after the BJP’s recent victory in Madhya Pradesh.
50-year-old Jitu Patwari, a member of the Other Backward Classes, has been appointed as the president of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit, replacing Kamal Nath. The decision to replace Nath was made after the BJP won the most recent election in the state.
In addition to this, the Congress also announced the appointments of Brahmin Hemant Katare as the party’s deputy and tribal Umang Singhar as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. OBCs make up 48% of the population in the state.
Since 2003, the ruling BJP has had four chief ministers from the OBC community. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured 163 seats in the Assembly, while the Congress managed to win only 66 seats in the recent elections.
Jitu Patwari, known for his proximity to senior leader Rahul Gandhi, lost the most recent elections in Rau’s Indore. From December 2018 to March 2020, he served as a minister in the Kamal Nath administration. Hemant Katare’s father, Satyadev Katare, was also a LoP in the Assembly and served as the state home minister. The appointments of Patwari, Katare, and Singhar were announced by Congress national secretary KC Venugopal, who also expressed gratitude to 77-year-old Kamal Nath for his contributions.
(With inputs from PTI)