Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s regime is seeing a reversal in the general trend of sons following their father’s footsteps and landing plum posts in the party. Now Youth Congress leaders are helping their fathers get top posts in party organisation, as has happened in Odisha on Monday.
Odisha Youth Congress President Sangram Jena’s father Jayadev Jena was appointed PCC president making the son-father duo holding the topmost posts. Jayadev, who belongs to Scheduled Caste category, has replaced Niranjan Patnaik as the PCC Chief. He is a former state Minister and AICC Secretary who had headed the party state unit in the past also.
The Congress has also appointed tribal leader Sukhdeo Bhagat as the Jharkhand PCC President. 42 year old Bhagat is a former MlA who would replace Rajya Sabha member Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu in the state which is currently under President's rule.
Significantly, the Congress recently has been making youthful and dalit/backward caste leaders as the PCC Presidents as was evident from appointment of Ashok Chowdhary, a dalit who is in his 40s, as Bihar PCC President and now Jena and Bhagat's appointment. Himchal Pradesh PCC chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a former MlA is also 48 years old.
The party is also planning to appoint two to three PCC Presidents in near future and can any day bring the long awaited organizational reshuffle. Since Rahul has
held interaction with leaders of all state units, the organizational reshuffle will have his stamp. Many young leaders are hoping to get promotions.