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 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 the 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 Mr 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.
Ms 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 incharge of Uttar Pradesh and Assam. The talk in the 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 the vice-president, there are currently nine general secretaries, eight independent incharges 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 young Congress MPs and Youth Congress office-bearers, groomed by the 42-year-old leader, could get prominent responsibilities in the AICC 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.