NEW DELHI: In an organisational reshuffle on Wednesday, Congress has downgraded Praveen Chakravarty, the incumbent chief of the party's data analytics department, and appointed him as chairman of the newly constituted AICC Technology and Data Cell under the aegis of Congress' organisation department.
Chakravarty, the former investment banker whose meteoric rise in the Congress had caused much heartburn, had been at the receiving end of considerable criticism from a large section of Congress leaders who had accused him of "wilfully misleading" then party president Rahul Gandhi about feedback from the ground in a run up to the Lok Sabha polls.
As chief of the analytics department - an independent entity - Chakravarty reported to the Congress chief directly. However, as chairman of the technology and data cell under the organisation department, he will now report to K C Venugopal, the organisation general secretary.
While his scope of work remains the same, the downgrade may also mean that Chakravarty will lose his seat at the Congress Working Committee meetings, where only heads of departments and frontal organisations - not cells - are allowed to remain present.
Handpicked by Rahul, the clipping of Chakravarty's wings in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls, sources said, seems to indicate that Congress president Sonia Gandhi's had kickstarted the first but crucial cleansing act within the party.
Credited with running the Shakti app, party insiders had alleged that Chakravarty had dished out "fudged" membership data to the party chief. He had also, allegedly, advised Rahul to hammer away at PM Modi on the Rafale issue despite feedback from grassroot level leaders that the allegations of graft against the PM were not resonating with the public.
Party insiders said the data analytics department had also given the Congress chief an impression that the grand old party was set for a massive resurgence in the Lok Sabha polls, a claim, in hindsight, which proved totally off the mark with the party bagging an abysmal 52 seats.
Chakravarty, the former investment banker whose meteoric rise in the Congress had caused much heartburn, had been at the receiving end of considerable criticism from a large section of Congress leaders who had accused him of "wilfully misleading" then party president Rahul Gandhi about feedback from the ground in a run up to the Lok Sabha polls.
As chief of the analytics department - an independent entity - Chakravarty reported to the Congress chief directly. However, as chairman of the technology and data cell under the organisation department, he will now report to K C Venugopal, the organisation general secretary.
While his scope of work remains the same, the downgrade may also mean that Chakravarty will lose his seat at the Congress Working Committee meetings, where only heads of departments and frontal organisations - not cells - are allowed to remain present.
Handpicked by Rahul, the clipping of Chakravarty's wings in the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls, sources said, seems to indicate that Congress president Sonia Gandhi's had kickstarted the first but crucial cleansing act within the party.
Credited with running the Shakti app, party insiders had alleged that Chakravarty had dished out "fudged" membership data to the party chief. He had also, allegedly, advised Rahul to hammer away at PM Modi on the Rafale issue despite feedback from grassroot level leaders that the allegations of graft against the PM were not resonating with the public.
Party insiders said the data analytics department had also given the Congress chief an impression that the grand old party was set for a massive resurgence in the Lok Sabha polls, a claim, in hindsight, which proved totally off the mark with the party bagging an abysmal 52 seats.
more from times of india news
Trending Topics
More from TOI
Navbharat Times
Featured Today in Travel
Quick Links
Article 370RTI BillPodcast newsYamuna FloodG7 SummitMaharashtra election 2019West Bengal ElectionTamil Nadu election 2019UP Election 2019Bihar election 2019UP Election DateAndhra Election DateBihar Election DateAndhra Assembly ElectionLok SabhaMP Election DateMaharashtra Election DateShiv SenaYSRCPTDPWB Election DateJDUCongressBJP newsGujarat Election DateSC ST ActUIDAIIndian ArmyISRO newsSupreme CourtRajasthan Election DateTelangana Election DateTamilrockers 2018Uttarakhand newsSikkim newsOrrisa newsKarnataka Election DateNagaland newsSatta KingManipur newsMeghalaya news
Get the app