The Congress on Friday appointed Tariq Hameed Karra as the president of its unit in Jammu and Kashmir and Keshav Mahto Kamlesh as its party chief in Jharkhand.

The appointments came hours after the Election Commission announced the dates for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Polls in the Union Territory will take place in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. In Haryana, the polling is scheduled for October 1.

The counting of votes in both places will take place on October 4.

The poll panel did not announce the dates for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand that are expected to take place later this year.

In a press release, the Congress said that Karra will replace Vikar Rasool Wani in Jammu and Kashmir as its party president. Karra won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar for the Peoples Democratic Party. He joined the Congress in 2017.

The party also appointed Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla as its working presidents for the Union Territory.

It appointed Wani as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee. Karra has been relieved from his current position as a permanent invitee to the party committee, the release added.

In Jharkhand, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh will take over as the state party chief from Rajesh Thakur. Mahto has served thrice as an MLA in the state from the Silli Assembly segment.

A release on X said that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also approved the appointment of Rameshwar Oraon as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state.

In Maharashtra, the party appointed Balasaheb Thorat as a member of the Congress Working Committee and Mohammad Arif Naseem Khan as a special invitee to it, The Indian Express reported.

Syed Muzaffar Hussain was also appointed as a working president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

The terms of the Legislative Assembly in Haryana will end on November 3, November 26 in Maharashtra and January 5 in Jharkhand. The polling process is expected to be completed before these dates.

The Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be the first in 10 years. The administration of the Union Territory, with no Assembly in place, has been led by the lieutenant governor since 2019.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir with the announcement of the poll schedule. The code is a set of guidelines issued by the poll panel for political parties, candidates and the government to follow during an election. It sets guardrails for speeches, meetings, processions, election manifestos and other aspects of the polls.