Hyderabad: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed BM Sandeep as the Telangana in-charge with immediate effect to oversee the party’s organisational affairs in the state and coordinate with the state leadership. The appointment comes a few months after former Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan left for higher studies abroad.“The Congress President has appointed BM Sandeep as the AICC in-charge of Telangana with immediate effect. The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing AICC in-charge, Ms Meenakshi Natarajan,” AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said in an official notification.Sandeep, who hails from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, previously served as AICC secretary for Maharashtra and Gujarat and as the national and state convener of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan in Karnataka. He also served as the returning officer for Indian Youth Congress elections.His appointment came as a surprise, as the party was reportedly considering several senior leaders for the role, including former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik, Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil and Manikrao Thakre.Sandeep is the third Telangana in-charge since the Congress came to power in the state in Dec 2023. Meenakshi Natarajan was appointed AICC in-charge of Telangana in Feb 2025, succeeding Deepa Dasmunshi. During her tenure, she worked closely with the state Congress leadership on organisational matters and coordination between the govt and the party.With his appointment, the party high command is expected to expedite the selection of candidates for nominated posts and finalise the list of candidates for the MLC elections under the MLA quota.Party sources said that, as the appointment takes immediate effect, Sandeep is likely to assume charge within the next few days.
