NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi is said to have shortlisted around 30 new leaders to appoint them to important positions in the Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi is believed to have shortlisted around 30 leaders for appointment to the important positions in the party. However, the timeline for the appointment of such leaders is not known.
Gandhi, according to senior leaders, has met dozens of leaders to check their acumen and their utility in the organisation so that the party can offer them fitting roles, and also step up the ordering of the party hierarchy by filing all the required positions in the organisation. A Congress leader said, “Rahul Gandhi for sure is focusing on developing new leadership. He is aware of how the senior leaders in big positions in the party are getting mixed reviews from the rank and file. If someone is in a high position, they should not get mixed reviews, rather majority people should talk good about them and that is how the trajectory of the party will be on upswing.”
He added, “Another problem affecting the organisation are the regional satraps who at times try to hijack the state unit, due to which the hierarchy of the organisation suffers a dent. This subsequently results in sending an involuntary message of lesser existence of high command or it having become weaker. This is not good for the organisation.”
Gandhi, according to a CWC member, had a series of meetings till August 21, and he had called a number of leaders across the country in the batches of five or six people. The CWC member added, “He must have discussed with them about their views, and then he must have picked up people from that lot. The guideline is that there should be no office bearer above 70, there should be general secretaries between the age of 60 to 70, between the age of 50 and 60 there should be secretaries. Likewise, age criteria has been put on top in the party functioning. I don’t know the timing of when they are going to be appointed, but these names are kept for the changes at the AICC level.”
A section of senior leaders close to Gandhi have suggested that there shouldn’t be immediate changes as the elections are coming close. Another section suggests that there should be slow and strategic changes which would not impact the immediate functioning of the Congress machinery. However, the wider understanding of senior leaders indicate that the changes will depend upon the Gandhi’s mood and also depend upon the immediate review system of the party. A senior Congress leader said, “One thing is clear that there will be changes and we can put up a span of around 3 months, in which all these organisational changes will take place. It can happen before Assembly elections, during the four Assembly elections, or after the elections.”
The top brass of the party thinks that if the grand old party wins at least three Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the party will acquire more power at the centre and could take decisions freely.