In a significant restructuring within the Congress party, Jharkhand is set to receive a new state in-charge. Koppula Raju, commonly known as K. Raju, has been appointed to take over this crucial responsibility. He currently serves as the National Coordinator for the Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Minorities Departments of the Congress party. His appointment marks an important shift in the party’s leadership structure in the state.
Raju is replacing Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who was assigned the role of Jharkhand Congress in-charge on December 23, 2023, shortly before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Under Mir’s leadership, the Congress party actively participated in both the parliamentary and assembly elections in Jharkhand. The party managed to secure two seats in the Lok Sabha and won 16 seats in the Assembly elections, shaping its political presence in the state.
The newly appointed Congress in-charge, K. Raju, hails from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and has an extensive administrative background. He was formerly an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), belonging to the 1981 batch of Andhra Pradesh cadre. Over the years, he has frequently visited Jharkhand for organizational work, which has given him significant exposure to the state's political dynamics.
Raju is widely regarded as a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi. His prominence in the party grew significantly in August 2013 when he was appointed to lead the Scheduled Caste department of the Congress. That same year, he took a major step in his career by resigning from the Indian Administrative Service and formally joining the Congress party. His expertise in governance and policy-making has been instrumental in shaping key social welfare legislations, including the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and the Food Security Bill.
Recently, the Congress high command convened a meeting in Delhi with ministers and MLAs from Jharkhand who belong to the party's quota. The discussions focused on Jharkhand’s core political and developmental agenda. Following these deliberations, the decision was made to entrust K. Raju with the responsibility of leading the Congress in Jharkhand, signaling a strategic move for the party’s future in the state.
