Jaipur, June 1 (IANS) Ganesh Ghogra, former Rajasthan Youth Congress President and a close aide of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Tribal Congress Department of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the appointments of new state chairpersons for the Adivasi Congress departments of Odisha and the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committees with immediate effect.

Following his appointment, senior Congress leaders, including former CM Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, and the Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully extended their congratulations to Ghogra.

In a post on X, Dotasra and Jully expressed confidence that Ghogra will amplify tribal voices in Rajasthan and further strengthen the Congress organisation.

Ghogra rose to prominence when he was appointed as the State Youth Congress President during the political turmoil of July 2020, replacing Mukesh Bhakar amid internal party conflicts.

However, in December 2023, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot loyalist and MLA Abhimanyu Poonia took over the Rajasthan Youth Congress leadership.

Hailing from Dungarpur, Ghogra is a two-time MLA from the Assembly constituency, which falls in a region where the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) has been gaining significant political ground.

BAP’s growing presence in districts like Dungarpur, Banswara, Pratapgarh, and Salumbar poses a serious challenge to the Congress.

As the new state Adivasi Congress President in Rajasthan, Ghogra now faces the critical task of reviving the party’s base in tribal-dominated regions and countering the BAP’s rising influence.

His leadership will be pivotal in the party’s tribal outreach strategy ahead of future elections.

According to an official statement from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Yashbant Narayan Singh Laguri has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Adivasi Congress Department in Odisha while Ganesh Ghogra has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Adivasi Congress Department in Rajasthan.

The orders regarding the appointment have been signed by Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal.

–IANS

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