Why Congress appointed Telangana leader Madhu Goud Yaskhi as AIPC chief, replacing Praveen Chakravarty

New Delhi: Former MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi has been appointed the new chairperson of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC), replacing Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarty who held the post since November 2023.

In a brief press release signed by Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, the party thanked Chakravarty for his contributions. The Congress’s decision to replace Chakravarty as the AIPC chairperson comes three months after his elevation to the Rajya Sabha in June.

Yaskhi’s appointment marks a shift from a data and analytics-focused leader to a politician with electoral and organisational experience, giving the AIPC a more visible political face.

Chakravarty was among the Congress leaders who had explored a possible alliance with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections.

Congress President Shri @kharge has appointed Shri Madhu Goud Yaskhi as the Chairperson of the All India Professionals' Congress, with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/9udpOrWoYu

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 9, 2026

He met Vijay before the polls to explore the possibility of a tie-up, though the Congress remained with its long-standing ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), only to finally dump them and join hands with the TVK.

The Rajya Sabha MP’s background, according to a Congress insider, was not the best fit for the role. A data and analytics specialist who has largely worked behind the scenes, he was seen as less suited to a position that requires extensive public engagement and interaction with professionals outside politics.

The source added that Chakravarty failed to make the kind of impact expected from the organisation, particularly when compared with the visibility AIPC had under its first chairperson Shashi Tharoor.

The new AIPC chairperson is a two-time former Lok Sabha MP, has served as a Congress spokesperson and chaired the Telangana Congress Campaign Committee. He is also considered close to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

“With the love, support, and cooperation of all of you, I sincerely wish to work together to strengthen the Congress Party from the state level to the national level and to make Shri Rahul Gandhi Garu the Prime Minister of India.” Yakshi posted on X, responding to a congratulatory message.

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy also took to X to congratulate Yaskhi, saying his experience will help the party deepen its engagement with India’s professional community and bring their expertise into nation-building,” he posted.

Political analyst Chandrachur Singh explained the move was largely an organisational reshuffle following Chakravarty’s elevation to the Rajya Sabha, but added that Yaskhi’s political experience could help the Congress build a stronger connect with professionals.

“Professionally, people don’t take part directly in politics, but they do have their political viewpoints. So I think that might be a reason when you have a political heavyweight heading your organisations and the different branches of it, definitely that gives it a bit of gravitas and it gives them a bit of weight by which they can also bring in these sets of people,” the political science professor of Hindu College explained.

“I think India becoming more urbanised and becoming more market-oriented would mean that these professional sets of people would be brought in, whether they are really able to do that or not is something that only we can see later. But all political parties do that.”

The All India Professionals’ Congress was formally launched in August 2017, with Shashi Tharoor as its first national chairperson. It was created as an AICC organisation to reach out to educated, tax-paying professionals, entrepreneurs and the urban middle class—people who may be interested in politics and policy but are not necessarily drawn to conventional political activity.

Also Read: Inside Rahul’s AICC secy interviews: 150 aspirants, Venugopal’s big say and grumblings among young & old