Capt back,most PCC chiefs stay

But for three changes,the Congress today cleared the names of existing party chiefs in 18 states and Union Territories.

But for three changes,the Congress today cleared the names of existing party chiefs in 18 states and Union Territories. The most prominent of the changes was Amarinder Singh,who was appointed Punjab PCC president,despite strong opposition from within the state unit.

G Parmeshwar,a Dalit leader and education baron,was brought in as the new Karnataka president. The Higher Education minister in the S M Krishna cabinet,he is perceived to be neutral in the faction-ridden state unit.

Nagaland was the third state to get a new Congress chief,with Congress president Sonia Gandhi clearing the name of S I Jamir,who had been elected by the state unit.

Changes are expected in the next list of PCC chiefs,which may be released later this week. The Congress high command is said to be considering a change of guard in Maharashtra,Haryana,Rajasthan,Andhra Pradesh,Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh,Orissa and Jharkhand.

The PCC chiefs who were retained are Rita Bahuguna Joshi Uttar Pradesh,J P Aggarwal Delhi,Ramesh Chennithala Kerala,Yashpal Arya Uttarakhand,Manas Ranjan Bhunia West Bengal,Bhubaneshwar Kalita Assam,Kaul Singh Thakur Himachal Pradesh,B B Bahl Chandigarh,and A V Subramaniam Puducherry. The Congress units in these states and Puducherry had earlier authorised Sonia to nominate their respective presidents.

Apart from Nagaland,Sonia also approved the names of other party chiefs elected by their respective units. They include Nabam Tuki Arunachal Pradesh,Gaikhangam Manipur,Friday Lyngdoh Meghalaya,Lalthanhawla Mizoram,Kuldeep Sharma Andaman amp; Nicobar Islands,and Ponnikkam Shaikhoya Lakshadweep.

AICC in charge of Maharashtra A K Antony is learnt to be holding consultations to replace the state PCC chief,Manikrao Thakre,who was recently caught on camera purportedly discussing how he had raised funds from Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and other ministers for Sonias rally at Sewagram. Antony is also said to be looking to replace Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh.

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Although senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar was also in contention for the post of Punjab PCC chief,Amarinder,who had led the partys campaign in the last LS elections,got the high commands nod. While he faced many detractors in the party,including Brar and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal,what went in the former CMs favour were his mass popularity and acumen as an organisational leader. Singh replaced Mohinder Singh Kaypee.

The exit of Karnataka PCC chief R V Deshpande,a loyalist of senior leader Margaret Alva who is now Uttarakhand Governor,was in the offing since an alleged scam early this year in which the PCC chief was accused of diverting funds collected for flood relief towards office expenses,ads and flight tickets.