 During the 1964 ouster to remove Khrushchev as First Secretary and Premier , Podgorny and Brezhnev appealed to the Central Committee , blaming Khrushchev for economic failures and accusing him of voluntarism and immodest behavior . Influenced by Brezhnev and his allies , Politburo members voted to remove Khrushchev from office . In the aftermath of Khrushchev 's removal , a collective leadership was formed , headed by Brezhnev as First Secretary , Alexei Kosygin as head of government , and Anastas Mikoyan as head of state . Before becoming head of state , Podgorny served as the party 's Second Secretary , and was therefore in charge of the Party 's Organisational Division . In this capacity , Podgorny threatened Brezhnev 's position as First Secretary because the Organisational Division , if Podgorny chose so , could easily be turned into his own power base within the party . Brezhnev allied himself with Alexander Shelepin , the KGB chairman , to oppose both Podgorny and Kosygin . 
