HAND HOLD: Congress plans to further strengthen its national position

"There is a need to streamline the organisation in these states. Experiments of all kinds have been undertaken in the seven states and none of these yielded results, " a senior Congress leader said.

 A shake up in the state leadership appears to be on the cards. In finalising the new leadership at the state level, the central leadership appears to be favouring leaders in the age group of 40 to 60 years. This would help maintaining a balance between youth and experience. "The party needs political activism, if it is to rebuild itself," a leader said.

In some states like Bihar, there is a clear crisis of leadership. In Bihar, where the Congress won only two seats, state level leaders and grassroot workers have consistently maintained that the party's state leadership was not responsive and did not work in tandem with the grassroot workers. The Congress leadership is aware that time is of the essence when it comes to Bihar since the state goes to the hustings in late 2010. "Even if we think strategically and work continuously in Bihar, it may not be enough. Elections are on in little more than a year and there is a lot of ground to cover," an AICC functionary said.

Source: Economic Times Resurgent Congress Plans Organisational Reshuffle In Seven States