Congress names new chiefs for Punjab, Karnataka units

NEW DELHI - The Congress Tuesday named Captain Amarinder Singh as the new party president in Punjab and G.Parmeshwar as the state unit chief in Karnataka.

While the new state unit chiefs were announced for Punjab and Karnataka, the party decided to retain Kaul Singh Thakur as party chief in Himachal Pradesh, Ramesh Chennithala in Kerala and Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Uttar Pradesh, said Oscar Fernandes, chairman of the central election authority of the party.

The party also retained Manas Ranjan Bhunia in West Bengal and Jaiprakash Agrawal in Delhi, he added.

The names were approved by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been authorised by the state party units to choose their chiefs.