Cadre mobilisation pattern is similar to that of the BSP.
Rahul Gandhi is preparing to challenge BSP supremo Mayawati by replicating her successful formula of cadre mobilisation. Gandhi wants to do this through a recruitment drive and help raise a committed army of youngsters who will join the Youth Congress (YC) and the National Student Union of India (NSUI) in Uttar Pradesh.
More than six lakh youngsters have already applied for YC membership in UP’s central zone, which covers 26 Lok Sabha seats in 24 districts. The central zone is one of
four zones the state has been divided into for the recruitment drive.
For the first time, YC and NSUI units would be formed in each Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier, the YC and NSUI were district units. The BSP’s organisational structure places a premium on these units, which give the Mayawati brigade an edge over her opponents.
Rahul has another ace up his sleeve. Under the new regime, 50% of the organisational posts in YC and NSUI units right from the ward to the state level would be reserved for SC/ST and backward classes. This could worry both regional chieftains, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav, in the run up to the 2012 state poll.
Interestingly, the process of enlisting young members into these organisations is not being done by YC or NSUI but through an NGO called Foundation for the Advanced Management of Elections (FAME).
FAME has done its best to make the system foolproof. Youngsters seeking YC membership are required to submit proofs of age, address and identity along with their forms. SC/ST and OBCs have to attach caste certificates. Besides, each form carries a bar-code. Each seat has a LRO (Lok Sabha Returning Officer) in charge. “There is no room for favouritism in this process,” says Lalit Mohan, a former EC secretary, now a
member of FAME.
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