Bhubaneswar: Former Union Minister Jitendra Singh has been appointed as the new All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Odisha by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, an official release said.

Singh has replaced BK Hariprasad who will be stepping down from his responsibility as AICC General Secretary in-charge, Odisha, the release said.

The party appreciates the hard work and contribution of Hariprasad, the release added.

"I welcome the young & dynamic Sh Jitendra Singh ji as the new AICC in-charge of Odisha Congress. With his experience & guidance Odisha Congress will achieve greater heights," tweeted former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik.

I welcome the young & dynamic Sh Jitendra Singh ji @JitendraINC as the new AICC in-charge of Odisha Congress. With his experience & guidance @INCOdisha will achieve greater heights.

— Niranjan Patnaik (@NPatnaikOdisha) March 30, 2018

It may be recalled here that, Hariprasad had in March last year tendered his resignation from the post owning moral responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the panchayat polls. His resignation, however, was rejected by the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Worth mentioning, the move of the AICC to appoint a new Odisha Congress in-charge comes a month after the party's dismal performance in the Bijepur by-poll, in which Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu managed to garner 10274 votes only while BJD's Rita Sahu and BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi had polled 102871 and 60938 votes, respectively.

Notably, AICC had appointed BK Hariprasad as Odisha Congress in-charge in June 2013 in place of Jagdish Tytler.