Why Congress replaced Meenakshi Natarajan, appointed new Telangana in-charge

Ending months of speculations about a change of guard, the Congress on Saturday replaced Meenakshi Natarajan with B M Sandeep as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Telangana. “With the responsibility there are a great deal of expectations of me. I will try to fulfil those under the guidance of the senior leadership and (Leader of the Opposition) Rahul Gandhi. I am grateful to the leadership for recognising my work for the party and I hope I can meet their expectations,” Sandeep told The Indian Express following his appointment. However, he faces a challenging task, particularly with Assembly elections due in two years. Senior Congress leaders in Telangana said Sandeep would have to navigate competing interests within the state unit while preparing the party for the upcoming electoral challenges.