Veteran Congress member Nirmal Khatri has been appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president, replacing Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who had put in her papers after the party put up a poor show in the March state Assembly polls. Khatri, who represents Faizabad in Parliament, was appointed to the post on Monday night, party leaders said. Khatri, 61, belongs to the traditional Vaish business community and is considered uncontroversial. He is known to be close to both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son, party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.