Gandhinagar, Feb 15 : The Gujarat unit of Congress on Thursday announced the appointment of Rajesh Gohil as the new Chairman of the Other Backward Class (OBC) department.

This appointment comes after the former OBC department chairman's recent defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with several supporters, marking a reshuffle within the party ranks.

In addition to this key appointment, the Gujarat Congress, under the directive of the party's national president, has also revealed a comprehensive list of new city and district unit presidents across Gujarat.

The appointments, aimed at revitalising the party's presence and fortifying its grassroots engagement, include Manoj Kathiria for Jamnagar district, Manoj Joshi for Junagadh city, Naushad Solanki for Surendranagar, Kishor Chikhaliya for Morbi, Hitesh Vyas for Bhavnagar city, Hasmukh Chaudhary for Mehsana, Ashok Patel for Sabarkantha, Rajendrasinh Rana for Bharuch, Dhansukh Rajput for Surat city, Atul Rajani for Rajkot city, Amarsinh Solanki for Ahmedabad district, Gulabsinh Chauhan for Mahisagar and Gemar Rabari for Patan.

These appointments are seen as a critical step towards consolidating the Congress party's influence in Gujarat, especially in recent political shifts.

/IANS