Mumbai, July 13: In a major move ahead of Assembly elections in the state, the Indian National Congress Party on Saturday appointed senior leader Balasaheb Thorat as the new president of the Maharashtra unit of the party. Congress has also appointed five working presidents - Dr Nitin Raut, Vishwajeet Kadam, Baswaraj M Patil, Yashomati Chandrakant Thakur and Muzaffer Hussain.

The Congress party also named Kagda Chandya Padvi as the leader of the legislature party in Maharashtra Assembly. Padavi succeeds Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Resigns as Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Days After His Son Joined BJP.

Congress Press Release:

According to the press release, the appointments were made "with the approval Hon'ble Congress president" but it didn't mention the name of Rahul Gandhi. The Gandhi scion has resigned from the national president position following the defeat in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2019 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).