More than a week after the Congress held a mega conclave with an eye on the next national elections, the party on Tuesday announced a ‘Task Force 2024’ among other key groups amid calls for a revamp. The Congress has been facing huge criticism after it yet again faced fresh setbacks in the latest round of state elections in March.
In a statement, the party on Tuesday said that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has constituted a ‘Political Affairs Group’ that will be presided over by her, a ‘Task Force 2024’ and a ‘Central Planning Group’ for the coordination of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The party plans to take out a ‘Kashmir to Kanyakumari’ rally in October.
The ‘Political Affairs Group’ will have eight top leaders - Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Digvijaya Singh, Anand Sharma, KC Venugopal and Jitendra Singh.
The ‘Task Force 2024’ will also have eight leaders - P Chidambaram, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Sunil Kanugolu.
The Congress - facing demands of restructuring - held a mega conclave earlier this month in Rajasthan's Udaipur. This was one of the largest conclaves the party has held in recent times.
At the conclave, Sonia Gandhi had announced an all-India rally in October. “The Yatra is to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our constitution that are under assault and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people."
{{/usCountry}}At the conclave, Sonia Gandhi had announced an all-India rally in October. “The Yatra is to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our constitution that are under assault and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people."
{{/usCountry}}Making the announcement on panels, she had said: “The reforms will focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and will cover all aspects of the organisation including structure, rules for appointments to party posts, communications and publicity, outreach, finances and election management."
Rahul Gandhi too had made a series of remarks against the BJP, saying only the Congress had the potential to defeat the ruling party and not the regional parties. The comment, however, had triggered a backlash.
Also, poll strategist Prashant Kishor predicted a political rout for the party from Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat after the Congress conclave. He had refused to join the party just weeks before.