Congress crack team of 10 to lead the charge in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has cleared the blueprint for revamp of the grand old party in the capital.Set to be designated as “shadow department heads“, a 10-member crack team of youth leaders will bear responsibilities of leading the revival of the party in Delhi.

A professionally qualified lot of adults in the age group of 25-39 years, comprising six women, they will be headed by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ajay Maken. This team will lead the charge against AAP in the capital.

The Congress revamp plan also brings along a new communication strategy in which social media will become a key platform to connect with the new generation Indian. President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee is likely to be appointed as the Delhi unit's chief spokesperson and in-charge of the DPCC communication department. A danseuse and activist, Mukherjee contested the Delhi assembly polls from Greater Kailash constituency .

Mukherjee and the new 10member team will be seen putting out the Congress stand before the public. The crack team has been drawn from among young councillors, NSUI, Youth Congress and those with a versatile profile. As shadow department heads, members will be given departments of the state government to follow and the job to create a knowledge bank on developments, decisions and outcomes to guide the campaigns of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee against the AAP government.

Two of the names likely to make it into the team are for mer Delhi University presidents Ragini Nayak and Amrita Dhawan. The latter is also a sitting municipal councillor.Some other councillors expected to be on the panel are Prerna Singh, Rinku Jayant and Abhishek Dutt. Promising Muslim youth leader 25-year-old Aaley Muhammad Iqbal is also likely to be a part of the team.

Other names doing the rounds include those of lawyers Chaitanya Singh and Aman Panwar. Anam Hasan a political science graduate with a masters in social work is also expected to be brought on board. She has strong IT and social media skills. Youth Congress leader Rahul Dhaka, too, is likely to get a place here.

According to sources, the senior leadership is focused on a revamp as it is felt that, despite a pool of dedicated workers, there is no organization at the base level. The Congress feels all programmes must be designed keeping in mind the new age politics and the changed demographic of the country which is marked by a younger electorate with higher aspirations.