The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed 69 new city and district presidents in Maharashtra, signaling the party's strategic focus on the 2029 elections. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal issued the official letter along with a list of appointees on Wednesday.
Leadership overhaul under Sanghatan Srijan Abhiyan
According to Congress members, these appointments are part of the party's 'Sanghatan Srijan Abhiyan', an initiative where observers visited multiple districts and engaged with party workers to identify fresh leadership. The goal is to strengthen the party at the grassroots level for upcoming elections. The restructuring decision followed the local body polls in Maharashtra, where Congress contested independently in many areas.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Mohan Joshi explained, 'Though we continue to be part of the MVA, our party is focusing on strengthening its presence in all districts to regain lost ground. AICC has given opportunities to fresh faces who worked hard during the recent civic polls.' He added that the party emphasized social engineering, ensuring representation from various castes among the new appointees, who will focus on issues concerning common people.
Focus on Kalyan-Dombivli region
In a bid to revive the party's base in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) region after a major defeat in recent civic polls, Congress appointed separate district presidents for Kalyan and Dombivli. Naveen Singh has been appointed Congress district president for Kalyan, while Amit Mhatre takes charge for Dombivli. Singh, a former member of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress executive committee and a nominated corporator in KDMC, said he would work to strengthen the party organization and reconnect with grassroots workers. Mhatre, a veteran Congressman from Dombivli, hails from a family long associated with the party. Local leaders believe his appointment could help Congress regain lost ground in the city. Historically, Congress dominated KDMC, winning a maximum of 21 seats in alliance with NCP in 2005, but its tally dropped to just two seats in the recent civic polls.
Rejig in Pune and other districts
The Pune city unit of Congress has also undergone a reshuffle. The AICC created two positions of party chiefs for Pune city to ensure better coordination. Corporator from Wanowrie, Prashant Jagtap, who recently switched from NCP (SP) to Congress, will serve as East Pune chief. Former mayor Deeptie Chawadary has been appointed as West Pune chief. The Pune rural area has been divided into two sections: Kamlakar Satav is the Pune rural North chief, while Lahu Nivangune will head Pune rural South. The party appointed Narendra Bansode as its Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief.
Congress MLC Satej Patil has been re-appointed president of the party's Kolhapur district unit, and Sanjay Kamble has been reappointed president of the Ichalkaranji city unit, a position he has held for the past seven years. In Kolhapur city, Congress replaced Sachin Chavan with KMC corporator Pravin Kesarkar as unit president.
