Rahul may bring in his team soon
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New Delhi: With his elevation in the party as vice-president, Rahul Gandhi is now expected to bring in his own team, but indications are there that unlike the popular perception, chances are there that it would be a blend of youth and experience. The exercise of reshuffling the AICC bearers will also be done keeping in view next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Party leaders feel that the reshuffle, which is long overdue, may take place “anytime now” and they feel that the exercise would not be drastic, as Rahul Gandhi, himself, at the recent meeting with the party office bearers noted that he would like to “gainfully use the experience of senior leaders”. The young leader has also hinted that changes in functioning of the party will be brought gradually and by taking everybody along, there are indications that the upcoming reshuffle would be a balance of youth and experience.
Ambika Soni is expected to get a major assignment in the expansion cum reshuffle of the AICC secretariat. It is being keenly watched what responsibility is given to party general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in-charge of Uttar Pradesh and Assam. The talk in party circles is that another general secretary Mukul Wasnik could be moved to Maharashtra as the PCC chief at a time when the party is seeking a replacement for Manikrao Thakre.
With Rahul’s elevation as vice president, there are currently nine general secretaries, eight independent in-charges of states and 34 AICC secretaries. Jitendra Singh, Meenakshi Natarajan, Shanimol Osman and Ashok Tanwar are among the secretaries who are likely to see changes and elevation in their responsibilities. The PCC chiefs of many states including of Bihar, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand are likely to be replaced.
Several Congress MPs and Youth Congress office- bearers, groomed by the 42-year-old leader, could get prominent responsibilities in the reshuffle. Names of Karnataka Youth Congress chief Krishna Byre Gowda and MPs Jyoti Mirdha, Manick Tagore and Deepender Hooda are doing rounds for key party positions.
Bihar PCC chief Mehboob Ali Kaiser resigned in 2010 after the party lost badly in assembly elections. Jharkhand PCC chief Pradip Balmuchu is now a Rajya Sabha member. Virbhadra Singh resigned as Himachal Pradesh PCC chief after coming chief minister and there is acting PCC chief in his place now.
Among the general secretaries who are likely to be shifted out are AICC in-charge for Bihar and Punjab Gulchain Singh Charak and Dhani Ram Shandil, who is now social justice and empowerment minister in the Himachal Pradesh government.
There is a general refrain in the party that when a new leader comes, he comes with his team, but Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly made it clear that it won’t be any kind of “youth takeover” of the party that is going to happen after his arrival.
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