Rahul Gandhi takes the first few steps to bring the Congress out of the coma it finds itself in, starting with a rejig of party strategists for poll-bound states.
On April 26, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot as the general secretary incharge of Gujarat, which is going to polls at the end of the year. On the face of it, the decision seemed to defy logic as Gehlot had failed to retain his state four years ago. If the man he has replaced—Gurudas Kamat—was disgruntled over being sidelined in his home state Maharashtra, Gehlot has been finding it hard to face the prospect of a much younger Sachin Pilot leading the party in the 2018 assembly elections. And Gehlot may have headed the screening committee that chose candidates for the assembly polls in Punjab, where the Congress returned to power after a decade, but that certainly did not earn him the job.
What seems a routine decision is part of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s new organisational strategy. Gehlot is an Ahmed Patel loyalist. Hailing from Gujarat, Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary has a strong grip on the politics of the state, making his involvement crucial for the party. “By appointing Gehlot as Gujarat in-charge,” says a general secretary of the party, “Rahul has made Patel accountable for the state. Contrary to perception, Rahul is not in confrontation with the veterans or those close to his mother; he is taking them along.”
This story is from the May 15, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 15, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Forbidding Fruit
The disturbed snow cycle, the price of imported urea, cheaper imports from the South Asian neighbourhood-the whole world, it would appear, has been conspiring against the apple farmers of Himachal Pradesh.
Chicken Soup for the Heart
Former veejay, actor and now travel influencer, Shenaz Treasury is out with a book based on past romances-All He Left Me Was a Recipe
CITY OF DREAMS
This anthology of stories about Mumbai is like the city itself-crowded and chaotic, but ultimately illuminating
Diverse Vignettes
Edited by Arunava Sinha, The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories is a landmark new anthology which includes several previously untranslated works
A BREATH OF FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Ganesh V. Shivaswamy brings a sharp and balanced approach to his three volumes on Raja Ravi Varma
Time Travel
An exhibition in Bengaluru is showcasing an unseen artwork by legendary artist Raja Ravi Varma
INDIA AT CANNES 2024
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival marks the first time in 30 years that India has a feature film in the Palme d'Or competition section. And there's lots more...
Cusp of Greatness
Shriya Pilgaonkar comes into her own as an intrepid reporter in Zee5's The Broken News
THE GREAT DISRUPTOR
Rapper SlowCheeta is trying to shake things up with his EP, Scene Mein Bawaal
Back to Roots
Known for his lavish musicals, theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan returns to classic theatre with his latest, Letters of Suresh