Interim Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on Sunday appointed Patidar community leader based in Gujarat as the working president of the party's Gujarat unit.

"Honorable Congress President has approved the proposal of the appointment of Shri. Hardik Patel as the Working President of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect." a press release issued by the All India Congress Committee stated.

The press release was undersigned by KC Venugopal, General Secretary, AICC.

Amit Chavda is currently the chief of the Gujarat unit of the party.

Earlier in January, Congress leader  Hardik Patel was arrested by Gujarat Police for failing to appear before a trial court in a 2015 sedition case. A sedition case was slapped against the Patidar leader after violence broke out during a rally by the Patel community in Ahmedabad on August 25, 2015.

The move might prove to be a big boost for Congress as he holds sway over the Patel community in Gujarat.

He had joined the Congress in 2017 ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Hardik Patel came to the fore for launching a movement towards reservation of the Patidar community in 2015.