Kotwal to be Congress' chief whip in Gujarat

Gandhinagar : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appointed Ashwin Kotwal the party's new chief whip in the Gujarat assembly.

A three term legislator from Khedbrahma, Kotwal was made the deputy whip under Amit Chavda after the December 2017 assembly elections when the party bagged a significant 77 seats.

With Chavda given the responsibility of heading the state Congress recently, Kotwal has been elevated.

Kotwal, 50, won the Khedbrahma seat, a constituency reserved for tribals, in 2007 and retained it in 2012 and 2017. An economics graduate from St. Xavier's, Ahmedabad, he was selected as a member in the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes in 2014, but with the change in government at the centre, could not assume that position.

The Leader of the Opposition Paresh Dhanani has sent a letter to Speaker Rajendra Trivedi, informing him about the new appointment.