Rahul Gandhi takes charge of Congress party's preparations for Lok Sabha polls

New Delhji, Nov 15: The Congress today formally announced that party chief Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul Gandhi has been appointed head of the coordination committee in charge of Lok Sabha elections due in 2014, but with chances of the polls being preponed if political expediency arises. The co-ordination committee will include Janardhan Dwivedi, Madhusudan Mistry, Sonia Gandhi's political adviser Ahmed Patel and party general secretary Digvijay Singh. Today's appointment comes in the context of the daylong Samvad meeting that was held in Surajkund last week for a brainstorming session between ministers and party leaders in the presence of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Though there had been speculations about Rahul Gandhi taking over as working president of the party, today's announcement makes it clear that the Gandhi scion would be given complete charge of the party for the next Lok Sabha elections. Though the Congress has not said in clear terms, but Rahul Gandhi is bound to be projected by the party as its prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha elections. Old timer A K Antony has been given charge of the sub-group to cast the party's net wider for electoral alliances, while maverick party general secretary Digvijay Singh heads the sub-group to look after Communications and Publicity. Today's appointments make it clear that the Congress has geared up to face the next Lok Sabha elections, which could be preponed if the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament rocks the UPA boat, with Trinamool Congress, the Left and the BJP gunning together on the FDI front. Rahul Gandhi is presently the party general secretary, one among 18 general secretaries. There are speculations over Rahul Gandhi being offered the post of Secretary General, but for this, an amendment to the party constitution may be required. IANS adds: The Congress president also formed three sub-groups on specific issues such as pre-poll alliances, manifesto and government programmes, and communications and publicity. The announcement on the groups was made at the party's 'Samvad Baithak' (Dialogue Session) held at Surajkund, a town bordering Delhi in Haryana, Nov 4. Among the members of the sub-group on pre-poll alliances are Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Minister for Youth Affairs Jitendra Singh besides senior leaders Suresh Pachauri, Mohan Prakash and Mukul Wasnik, who recently left the ministry of social justice to work for the party. Besides Antony, the panel on manifesto and government programmes includes Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. The panel would also have Congress spokespersons Sandeep Dikshit and Renuka Chowdhury besides senior leader Ajit Jogi, MP P.L. Punia and special invitee Mohan Gopal. Besides Digvijaya Singh, senior leader Ambika Soni, who recently left the information and broadcasting ministry to work for the party, has been included in the sub-group on communications and publicity. Among other members of the panel are Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning Rajeev Shukla and MPs Deepender Hooda and Bhakta Charan Das.