1. Jitu Patwari was appointed as Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president by Mallikarjun Kharge.
2. Patwari succeeds Kamal Nath in the role after the party’s assembly poll setback.
3. Two-time MLA and former Minister of Higher Education, Youth, and Sports Affairs.
Bhopal, Dec 17: Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Jitu Patwari as the president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Kamal Nath following the party’s defeat in the state’s assembly polls.
Patwari, a two-time MLA and former Minister of Higher Education, Youth, and Sports Affairs, took over with immediate effect. This decision comes after the BJP secured 163 seats in the 230-member Assembly, while the Congress won 66 seats in the November 17 polls.
Jitu Patwari, a 49-year-old leader who previously chaired the Madhya Pradesh Congress campaign committee, has been appointed to lead the party in the state. He had won the Rau seat in the 2018 elections but faced defeat in the 2023 polls.
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In the recent reshuffling, Umang Shingar was named the Leader of the Opposition, and Hemant Katare was appointed the deputy leader of the Congress party in the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
Patwari’s political journey includes serving as the Minister of Higher Education, Youth, and Sports Affairs in the Kamal Nath-led government.
Despite the setback in the 2023 elections, where he lost the Rau seat to BJP’s Madhu Verma, Patwari’s previous roles within the Congress party, including being the chairperson of the state media cell, indicate his standing within the party.
The official press note from Congress expressed appreciation for Kamal Nath’s contributions as the outgoing PCC president. Kamal Nath, in his constituency Chhindawara, had recently stated that he was not ready to retire from his political journey.
The leadership change is seen as a move to rejuvenate the party in Madhya Pradesh following the electoral defeat. Jitu Patwari, known to be in the good books of Rahul Gandhi, faces the challenge of steering the Congress in the state and revitalizing its political presence.
