New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) With the Lok Sabha and assembly elections on mind, the Congress Sunday announced changes in the top brass of its Maharashtra unit, appointing Manikrao Thakre as state party chief and Gurudas Kamat as chairman of the party’s state election campaign committee. Thakre, earlier head of the party’s Yavatmal district committee, has held the post of the state Youth Congress president, besides handling various portfolios in the state cabinet led by Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde.

Other key appointments made by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi included Jayant Awale as working president of the state unit and Kripa Shankar Singh as chief of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee. Kripa Shankar succeeds Gurudas Kamat, whohas ompleted his five-year tenure as Mumbai party chief.

Thakre replaces Prabha Rau, who has been made the governor of Himachal Pradesh.