NEW DELHI — Heralding a generational shift in the party, the Congress replaced Kamal Nath as its Madhya Pradesh unit chief on Saturday and appointed Jitu Patwari in his place.
The development comes days after the party's humiliating defeat in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, where the Congress, led by Nath, failed to replace the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
The Congress could win only 66 seats, while the BJP won 163 seats in the recently-concluded election.
Sources said Nath was asked to tender his resignation after the poll results were out.
Nath met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and tendered his resignation soon after the results.
"The Congress president has appointed Shri Jitu Patwari as the president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect," an official communication from the party said.
"The party appreciates the contributions of outgoing PCC president Shri Kamal Nath," it added.
By replacing Nath with Patwari, who was the working president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, the grand old party has initiated a generational shift by bringing in young leaders to the forefront.
"The Congress president has also approved the proposal of the appointment of Shri Umang Singhar as the CLP leader and Shri Hemant Katare as the deputy leader of Madhya Pradesh," the statement said.
Another statement said Kharge has given his approval to a proposal to appoint Charan Das Mahant as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Chhattisgarh with immediate effect.
"The Congress president has also approved the proposal to continue Deepak Baij as the president of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee," it said.