CONGRESS WAR ROOM
The grand old party is once again depending on its old warhorse — six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh — as it battles to retain the hill state. With its vanguard leaders in the fray, the party’s central leaders are holding the ground in the Congress war room at Shimla’s Rajiv Bhawan. Set up just a day before, the party’s war room this time is not so tech-savvy like that of the Bharatiya Janata Party which has launched a high-tech publicity campaign. Hindustan Times’ Gaurav Bisht takes a close look at the war room.
MAN IN CHARGE SHUSHIL KUMAR SHINDE, 76
The former Union home minister is party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s ears and eyes in the state unit. The party general secretary took over the baton from Congress senior leader Ambika Soni at a time when infighting in the Congress’ state unit hit its peak. Shinde, who had a tough time keeping tabs on the day-to-day happening in the Congress campaign. Shinde, who led the party in quelling the rebellion, is supervising the entire campaign in the state. He has also been trying to strike a balance between the octogenarian chief minister and party’s state president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
PARTY’S DELHI INTERFACE SANJAY BAPNA, 55
The former All India Congress Committee secretary is the high command’s key man in the Congress’s Shimla office. Bapna is here for updating the battery of central observers deputed by the Congress to keep tabs on the party’s daily campaign. He gathers feedback and later in the day compiles a feedback report from the field. He is a silent worker in the war room while reporting each and everything to the party’s central command. Bapna will also coordinate with the national leaders scheduled to visit Himachal for campaigning.
THE CANNON FIRE RANJEET RANJAN, 43
Ranjan, who was the youngest member in the 14th Lok Sabha, is co-incharge of Himachal Pradesh polls this time. Ranjan is actively motivating the party workers and closely monitoring the election strategy. Born in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa to a Kashmiri Pandit-turned-Sikh family in 1974, Ranjeet was brought up in Jammu, studied in Punjab and later settled in Delhi. Ever since she was appointed AICC secretary in-charge for Himachal, she has been extensively touring the state. She at present is party cannon fire against BJP’s attacks on the Congress.
THE YOUNG TURK GAURAV GOGOI, 35
Son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Gaurav Gogoi was in the three-member screening committee for the ticket distribution in Himachal Pradesh. An electronics and communication engineer and a postgraduate in public administration from New York University, he is looking after HP’s poll campaign along with other senior leaders. He is pushing the party’s social media campaign. In the days to come, the party will have the Gogoi imprint on its social media campaign. Gogoi is also considered to be member of Rahul Gandhi’s core team.
THE STRATEGIST HARSH MAHAJAN, 62
An experienced political manager, former minister Mahajan is chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s trusted lieutenant. He is one of the key strategists on the Congress side. After he chose not to contest election, Mahajan this time also plays a vital role in managing the day-to-day affairs in the Congress election campaign. He was also instrumental running the party campaign in the 2012 assembly elections. Son of former Vidhan Sabha speaker Des Raj Mahajan, Harsh remained legislator from Chamba from 1993 to1998 and then from 2003 to 2007. He, however, did not contest the 2007 and 2012 assembly polls citing personal reasons.
PARTY’S TRUMPET NARESH CHAUHAN, 50
The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary has been party face in the media for the last four years. A realtor, he has been appointed a coordinator for the elections this time. A close aide of state party president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, his job is to ensure proper coverage of the party campaign in the media and to plan and arrange media interactions with star campaigners.