Bengaluru, Apr 9 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday appointed 149 new office-bearers to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee as the party gears up for next year"s assembly polls. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has approved the appointment of 40 vice-presidents and 109 general secretaries to the party, two years after party leader D K Shivakumar took charge as its state unit president. Caste and regional representation along with a combination of old and new generation leaders has been taken care of in these appointments, party sources said. The caste-wise representation includes 53 from the backward classes, 25 from Scheduled Castes, four from Scheduled Tribes, 22 from minorities, 19 from Lingayats, five from Reddy Lingayats, 16 Vokkaligas, one transgender, and four others. A total of 23 office-bearers are women. Setting the mood for assembly elections in Karnataka due next year, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his visit to the state, earlier this month, had exhorted party leaders to work together, as he set an ambitious target to win a minimum of 150 seats in the assembly. PTI KSU KSU KH HDA HDA