Congress to decide city LS candidate through ‘Shakti’

PUNE: Following its use during the selection of chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Congress party is using ‘Shakti’ app to seek the opinion of party workers before announcing party’s final decision on the candidate from Pune Lok Sabha (LS) seat. This exercise has started across the country. In Pune, it began from Monday. 

In the city, more than 10,000 party workers got recorded phone calls from leaders appealing them to share the name of the candidate for Pune Lok Sabha constituency. On the other hand, the State Parliamentary Committee has sorted out three names - Mohan Joshi, Abhay Chhajed and Arvind Shinde. 

Project Shakti is an internal digital platform that would use big data with an aim to link each and every Congress worker across the country with party President Rahul Gandhi. For the Congress, Shakti has become a database, a communication tool, a feedback mechanism, an appraisal platform and poling platform all rolled into one. The All India Congress Committee can directly communicate with workers in a particular booth, district or an area in any state on a decision that the party wants to make. 

Congress workers got a telephone call with a pre-recorded message for the Pune Lok Sabha candidate in Hindi from party’s General Secretary In-charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge seeking their feedback on their choice for Pune Lok Sabha candidate. 

Congress is connecting through Shakti app and they are asked to indicate the name of Pune Lok Sabha candidate of their choice. The exercise is being carried out before finalisation of candidates in Maharashtra Lok Sabha constituencies. 

Ramesh Iyer, a senior office bearer of Congress, said, “I have received a recorded call from  Mallikarjun Kharge. I was asked to suggest a name for Pune Lok Sabha candidate. After hearing the beep sound, I shared the name of the candidate which got recorded in the application. All party workers and booth committee members knew the names of aspiring candidates. Out of those, workers have to give names. Workers can also take the name of the person he or she wants to be selected. Now, all such kind of recorded messages is being considered by party high command while finalising name of Pune Lok Sabha candidate.”

Congress follows procedures like the District Selection Committee recommends names of aspirants to State Parliamentary Committee. State Parliamentary Committee scrutinises the names which selection committee suggests. After discussions, interviews of aspirants, the Parliamentary Committee send names to Centre Scrutiny Committee, which decides the final candidate for the Lok Sabha seat.