Congress appoints new chiefs in Maharashtra, Odisha
What's the story
The Indian National Congress has named Harshvardhan Sapkal as the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
The decision comes after the party's dismal performance in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, where it managed to win just 16 out of 288 seats.
A former MLA and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Sapkal is now tasked with revamping the party's organization and internal conflicts ahead of local body elections in April.
Odisha changes
New leadership in Odisha
In Odisha, the Congress has appointed Bhakta Charan Das as the head of the state Congress unit.
This comes seven months after the Odisha unit was dissolved due to a poor show in the 2024 Assembly polls.
Although the party increased its assembly seats from nine to 14 in 2024, its vote share fell to 13.26%.
Das now hopes to revive the party's fortunes in a state where it hasn't been in power for 25 years.
Bihar focus
Congress strengthens alliance in Bihar
In Bihar, where elections are due later this year, the Congress is concentrating on fortifying its alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the Mahagathbandhan coalition.
The party's organization is still weak, with no executive committee formed since 2017.
Akhilesh Singh was made BPCC president in December 2022.
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Congress won just 19 out of 70 contested seats and has been heavily dependent on RJD support for its recent electoral performances.