Damp squib or an exercise to assess party-ruled states and target victories in Punjab, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Bihar (with the Mahagathbandhan) in the upcoming state assembly polls?

Following its debacle in the Delhi, Haryana, and Maharashtra polls, the Congress’s list of new office-bearers appears to be a damp squib, packed with Rahul Gandhi loyalists. Barring Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka (Koraput Lok Sabha) and Harish Choudhury (MLA, Rajasthan), none of the office-bearers named on Valentine’s Day are elected representatives in either the Lok Sabha or state assemblies. In the AICC secretariat, directly elected representatives are in short supply. It is both baffling and intriguing that a party desperately seeking electoral success continues to rely on individuals who have little understanding of how elections are fought and won.

However, a closer and more nuanced look at the new office-bearers suggests a discernible pattern. Key Rahul aides such as Meenakshi Natrajan, K Raju, and Rajni Patil have been assigned Telangana, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh, respectively—states where the party is currently in power. Congress insiders say that a new general secretary for Congress-ruled Karnataka will soon be appointed, so........

© News18