After keeping himself in ‘political hibernation’ for almost a month following Congress’ flop show in Lok Sabha polls, party chief Rahul Gandhi is all set to start interactions with leaders on a routine basis, particularly with the leaders from States headed for Assembly election in few months.
The reports of Rahul Gandhi expressing his interest to start the interactions after maintaining that there would be a no rollback on his decision to quit the party post, has raised hopes within the party men that he would keep on the helms of affairs.
Most significantly, the party has also decided to hold a meeting of the Congress Working Committee soon after the series of meetings scheduled between the Gandhi scion and other important leaders concerning the state assembly elections in Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu Kashmir and Maharashtra.
Congress sources now say Rahul Gandhi will meet leaders of Maharashtra Congress on Thursday followed by Haryana and Delhi units a day later. The meetings are meant to discuss the preparations for upcoming assembly elections. All General Secretary in-charges of state units have been asked to submit a report on the performance of the units in the Lok Sabha elections to AICC General Secretary Organisation K C Venugopal. It is also believed the main aim of the meetings is to re-jig the state organizations.
The party has already dissolved its committees in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka amid buzz that it was a churning before the party announces its new leadership. Sources said the rejig will be based based on recommendations of the state in-charges.
For more than a month, Rahul Gandhi withdrew himself from the party leaders. Two days after the results, he announced his decision to quit the top post taking responsibility for the rout in the Lok Sabha elections citing "accountability" over the failures.
Rahul's sister and General Secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi, has already taken up the task to meet state leaders frequently focusing directly on the assembly elections in the biggest state two years from now. She has set up a two-member team to oversee election preparations and management of upcoming bypolls in the state for each constituency.
While the party is on a look for the new party chief which according to Rahul Gandhi has to be anyone outside the Congress' first family, notably during the last one month, he has limited his interactions only with senior party leaders Ahmed Patel and KC Venugopal. Sources said that Rahul's decision to hold sessions with regional leaders of the party could be outcome of information that state units like that in Haryana, Delhi are in trouble due to factionalism gripping the party for many years now.
"Though he may meet leaders and general secretaries in charge of election-bound states over the next few days to discuss preparations but should be no indication of his willingness to continue as Congress president," said a senior leader. He said Rahul has infact yielded to pressure from states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand where Assembly elections are barely three months away and he has agreed to discuss pressing issues and help them draw the roadmap for the future.