Rahul Gandhi, scion of India's famed Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, was named Monday as a general secretary of the ruling Congress in a sign the party could be readying for early elections.
The appointment of the telegenic member of parliament, whose mother Sonia is the powerful president of Congress, comes as the minority government is locked in a bitter stand-off with communist allies. The government mandate is due to expire in 2009 but many analysts are betting general elections will come earlier if the deadlock, over a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, is not resolved.
Rahul, 37, has been touted by supporters as a potential future prime minister despite his wooden campaigning skills. His new role as one of several general secretaries will be looking after the youth and student wing of Congress, which scored a surprise win in 2004 general elections.
The job is seen by analysts as crucial in the next elections with a staggering 51 percent of India's population of 1.1 billion people under 25 and two-thirds under 35. Congress also Monday changed some office bearers and named new presidents of several state units in a bid to galvanise the party.
Comments
Comments are closed.