Cong goes for overhaul, Rahul set to be Gen Secy

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to be inducted as the General Secretary of the party.

An announcement regarding the induction is expected at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) reshuffle on Monday afternoon.

Rahul so far has been reluctant to take up any significant position in the party, though he has led the Congress in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections this year.

Earlier, it was believed the changes would be made after state units were revamped. However, nothing much has been done barring the replacement of Delhi Congress chief Ram Babu Sharma by JP Aggarwal two weeks ago.

With mid-term polls looming, the party feels it would be a better idea to prop up the central organisation. It is also believed that the party is keen on a youthful look.

According to party sources, Rahul’s entry will be the perfect remedy for the beleaguered Congress, which has been under pressure from all its allies in the past few months.

Rahul may be put in charge of frontal organisations, like the Youth Congress and the NSUI, as of now, Congress sources say.

The Congress shake-up could also decide the role of two former chief ministers who are now General Secretaries – Digvijay Singh and Ashok Gehlot.

Past tense for Rahul

As the Congress did a review of its electoral debacle in Uttar Pradesh, party insiders came up with an uncomfortable conclusion – Rahul Gandhi's somewhat aloof and corporate style of functioning did not fetch dividends in the long run for the Congress.

Party sources said the Gandhi family was upset over the showing in the state and the one casualty of this could be Rahul, who may have to give up his ways of zooming past the mass of voters, without making a lasting impression.

The Congress had 25 seats in the outgoing UP Assembly and won three seats less in the April-May elections despite whirlwind tours by both Rahul, with some help from his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi.

According to poll analysts, the party vote share fell from 8.9 per cent in 2002 to 8.6 per cent, it could retain only seven of its 25 existing seats and only 66 per cent of its earlier supporters voted for it in this election.

The Rahul Gandhi style contrasts sharply with that of his more popular sister Priyanka, who Congress functionaries insist makes a better impact on voters because she builds a personal rapport with voters.