Congress's 2024 poll task force to meet on Monday
What's the story
In April, right before Congress's big three-day conclave in Rajasthan's Udaipur, the grand old party had announced an "Empowered Action Group" to tackle the "political challenges" before the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress task force team for the national elections, under newly elected head Mallikarjun Kharge, is now all set to meet for the first time on Monday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Members of Congress' new task force for the 2024 polls include the likes of KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh, P Chidambaram, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, Sunil Kanugolu and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Notably, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi was the one who had formulated the task force based on the report filed by an eight-member committee.
Details
Congress restructuring for 2024 elections
Mallikarjun Kharge was officially elected the Congress President during the party's presidential election. Sonia Gandhi had made a comeback as the interim president in 2019 after Rahul Gandhi had stepped down amid election setbacks. The recent changes came after Congress suffered several defeats in state polls, prompting nationwide calls for revamping the grand old party's structure.
Information
Task Force to stay in sync with Kharge
This is also the first Task Force meeting after Kharge took over charge as the Congress President. All members of the poll strategy team will be in sync with Kharge regarding the activities of the team and the plans for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Elections
Kharge's first two big challenges
The newly elected Congress head's first challenge has been to prepare for the assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being in control of the Himalayan state for the past five years, Congress seems optimistic this time. In Gujarat, Congress decided to run a low-profile campaign as the possibility of dethroning the saffron brigade seems slim.
Historic moment
Kharge, Congress's first non-Gandhi chief
Earlier this year, Kharge was officially elected as the Congress party President on October 19 and became the first non-Gandhi to head the party in the past 24 years. Eighty-year-old Kharge, a former Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha, was in the race against Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. Kharge had secured approximately 7,000 votes, compared to Tharoor's 1,000 votes.