Chennai, July 8 (IANS) The Congress high command on Wednesday appointed senior leader Ghulam Ahmed Mir as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with immediate effect as part of its efforts to strengthen the party organisation in the two regions.

The appointment was announced by AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal in an official statement issued from the party headquarters in New Delhi.

The statement said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had approved Mir’s appointment as AICC General Secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with immediate effect.

A senior Congress leader from Jammu and Kashmir, Mir has held several important organisational and administrative positions in the party.

He previously served as president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee and was also a minister in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government.

He is regarded as an experienced organisational leader with a long association with the Congress.

Mir assumes charge at a significant time for the Congress in Tamil Nadu, where the party is looking to strengthen its organisational network following the recent Assembly elections.

The Congress is now part of the ruling alliance led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), making coordination between the central leadership and the state unit crucial.

As AICC General Secretary in charge, Mir will oversee the functioning of the Congress units in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, coordinate with the state leadership on organisational matters, monitor political developments and help formulate the party’s strategy in consultation with the AICC leadership.

His appointment also follows the recent elevation of B. Manickam Tagore as president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), completing a key organisational reshuffle in the state.

With a new TNCC chief and a new AICC General Secretary in charge in place, the Congress is expected to step up its organisational activities and strengthen its presence in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the months ahead.

–IANS

aal/pgh