It is time for veterans and seniors to take a back seat and it is a young team that will now lead the Congress in Uttar Pradesh to the next Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress high command is all set to announce the names of eight coordinators or zonal heads who will be given charge of ten Lok Sabha seats for the general elections and will also be accountable for the party’s performance in their respective zones. The coordinators have been hand-picked by Mr Rahul Gandhi.
Though the coordinators will work under the UPCC chief, they will also enjoy a certain degree of autonomy and freedom.
Though a formal announcement of the names is awaited, party sources said that the names include relatively young leaders like Union ministers R.P.N. Singh and Jitin Prasada, Congress MPs P.L. Punia and Raja Ram Pal, Congress legislators Vivek Singh and Anugrah Narain Singh and former MP Brijendra Singh and Rasheed Masood.
“There has been a conscious attempt to give representation to all caste groups. We have OBC leaders (R.P.N. Singh and Raja Ram Pal), dalit leader (P.L. Punia), Brahmin (Jitin Prasad), Thakur leaders (Vivek Singh and Anugrah Narain Singh), Jat ( Brijendra Singh) and Muslim (Rasheed Masood). Care has also been taken to ensure representation to all parts of the state,” said a senior AICC leader.
The exclusion of union minister Beni Prasad Varma, Salman Khurshid and Shri Prakash Jaiswal from this new team, however, is a clear indication of the fact that the behavior of these ministers during the assembly elections is being considered as an ‘unpardonable offence.’
The statements issued by these three ministers during the assembly polls in UP were said to have damaged the Congress prospects and also nullified the efforts made by Mr Rahul Gandhi to revive the Congress.
“The inclusion of Mr P L Punia as a coordinator should serve as a serious warning to Mr Beni Prasad Varma who is often seen publicly criticizing the Dalit leader. The preference given to Mr Rashid Masood over Mr Salman Khurshid and the exclusion of Mr Shri Prakash Jaiswal from the new team is also an indication that indiscipline will no longer be tolerated,” the AICC leader said.
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