New Delhi: The Congress is taking the first corrective steps for rebuilding and strengthening its grassroots network as a means to electoral revival. As part of the exercise, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is trying to ensure performance assessment of state units, filling up of vacant posts and greater representation of financially and socially disempowered sections.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a key focus of Gandhi’s blueprint is performance assessment which will be personally handled by him through a meeting every four months for each state. The plan is being executed by Ashok Gehlot, newly appointed general secretary in charge of organization and training.
“My priority is the same as the Congress president. Our party president believes committees uptill blocks and districts should be completely formed and a database should be in place. After that, the performance of party units should be monitored,” Gehlot told reporters on Tuesday.
For the first time, the party will build a database with the background of all functionaries uptill block level, which in turn will help the party in making changes or appointing new people. “Gandhi’s thought is that monitoring is important. Both the party programmes and performance of state, district and block levels will be assessed...good work should be rewarded and if they are not working then they should be punished,” Gehlot added.
Gehlot’s appointment comes in the backdrop of him being credited for Congress’s turnaround performance in the Gujarat assembly polls last year. The series of electoral losses in several states since the historic drubbing in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections forced the party rethink.
In order to consolidate its support base among a diverse population, the Congress is also looking at ensuring that there is 50% representation of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and women in the party organization, Gehlot said.
The focus on reclaiming the socially disempowered groups along with youths, flagged by Gandhi in the plenary session of the party last month, will be crucial to party’s electoral strategy for upcoming state elections as well as national elections next year.
A number of changes in the party organization have been made since Gandhi took over the top post in December last year, particularly with respect to appointing younger leaders. Interestingly, Gehlot said that going ahead, national secretaries, most of whom are young leaders handpicked by Gandhi, will play a key role in monitoring the performance of state units.
“Performance measurement will happen in state, districts and blocks. We will monitor how the programmes are being implemented and party secretaries will play a key role in it...organisational units will have to explain their role in raising key issues in their area,” Gehlot added.