After Rahul Gandhi's formal elevation to number two in the Congress party last week, a hi-tech plan to connect party offices across India may finally see the light of day.  Following his appointment as a general secretary in September 2007, Rahul had chalked out a plan along with the Gandhi family's favourite technocrat Sam Pitroda to e-connect AICC headquarters with all state and district unit headquarters. The idea was discussed at a meeting of the future challenges group formed especially to assist the young leader in his political journey.

 Top sources told HT that before the Jaipur session of the Congress, Rahul spent almost a week in Chicago with one of the closest family friends and held intense discussions on the road map of the party, including the plan to e-connect party offices.

 Dedicated network with video-facilities will enable faster and direct interaction between the party brass and the grass-root level. It would also help Gandhi, who emphasizes on adapting to new technologies, to open newer channels of communication with the party across the country.

 Sam Pitroda, credited for ushering the telecom revolution during Rajiv Gandhi's era and now Prime Minister’s advisor on information infrastructure and innovation, is believed to have already laid the detailed plan on how to connect all party offices through cyber-net coupled with video-conferencing facilities.