‘Talent scouts’ to hunt for regional Cong leaders

NEWDELHI: The Congress plans a “secret” talent hunt to identify and groom potential young leaders for a larger role in the grand old party, a Congress functionary said on condition of anonymity.

The move, the person added, is part of new party president Rahul Gandhi’s strategy of reviving the party in the states, in many of which it doesn’t have strong leaders.

Detailing the plan, the functionary said teams to scout for such talent have already been formed and that they would start touring the states. The identity of the team members, the tours, and the process itself, will be kept secret to ensure that no one tries to influence the selection, he explained.

The absence of regional leaders, barring a few exceptions, has been a cause for concern for a long time in the Congress. At present, the party can boast of just a few such names — Siddar- amaiah in Karnataka, Captain Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Virbhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh), Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh, and Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan — and several of these are actually veterans. The talent scouts of the Congress plan to look for younger leaders.

Political experts say the Congress should take a cue from Karnataka and Punjab where it allowed state leaders to play their game.

“Every party should groom their leaders but the Congress definitely needs do it more effectively as it is losing state after state. There is a lesson for the Congress from Karnataka and Punjab. In both the states, the Congress allowed Siddaramaiah and Captain Amarinder Singh to play their game. That is why the Congress won Punjab and are relatively ahead in Karnataka,” said Delhi-based political analyst N Bhaskara Rao.