The Congress on Monday appointed Ajay Kumar Lallu as its Uttar Pradesh president, replacing actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar. Lallu is a Congress MLA from the state’s Tamkuhi Raj constituency.

The state will have four vice presidents – Virender Chaudhary, Pankaj Malik, Laliteshpati Tripathi, and Deepak Kumar, the party said, adding that 12 general secretaries have been appointed.

Babbar had resigned as the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief on May 24, a day after the Congress won just 52 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, and just one in Uttar Pradesh – that of Sonia Gandhi. The only other Congress MP from 2014 – her son and former party chief Rahul Gandhi – lost family bastion Amethi to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani.

Babbar had said the results in the state were depressing for the Congress. “I find myself guilty of not discharging my responsibility in a proper manner,” he said. “I will meet the leadership and apprise it of my views.”

The Congress also announced that it has appointed Aradhana Mishra as the leader of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Legislative Party. The Opposition party also appointed 24 secretaries, 18 members to the advisory council for the general secretaries, and eight members to the working group on strategy and planning.

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