Congress removes Ashok Gehlot as Gujarat party in-charge

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New Delhi: Congress on Friday decided to remove senior leader Ashok Gehlot as general secretary in-charge for the state of Gujarat. The decision comes on the back of the recent appointment of Amit Chavda as president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.

Looking to infuse young blood in the party, Congress removed Gehlot from his post - one the veteran politician and former Rajasthan Chief Minister has held since April of 2017. At the time, Congress had pinned hopes on Gehlot's appointment in helping the party put up a stiff fight in elections in Narendra Modi's home state. Eventually, the party did fare better than what many expected but could not upstage BJP.

Now, with Gehlot removed from his post, many expect a power struggle to once again erupt in the state. Interestingly, it is suspected that the man Gehlot had replaced last year - Gurudas Kamat - was also removed because he had internal problems with the party.

Ironically, Gehlot himself had said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was well within his rights to choose his own team. "