New Delhi: Congress today (Nov23, 2004) dismissed reports that Uttaranchal Chief Minister N D Tiwari was being replaced.

"There is no change," AICC (All India Congress Committee) treasurer and in-charge of party affairs of Uttaranchal Motilal Vora said in New Delhi.

His statement came in the wake of reports that Tiwari was tipped for a gubernatorial assignment in Maharashtra and Uttaranchal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Harish Rawat was likely to succeed him.

Ruling out change of guard in Uttaranchal, Vora said that ministers and party MLAs from the State camping in Delhi have been asked to go back and concentrate on their work.

Reports said that the Congress high command was toying with the idea of change of leadership in Uttaranchal in the wake of party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls, where Congress won only one of five seats in the State.

Tiwari had a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi sometime back and had expressed readiness to shoulder any responsibility given by the party high command.