Indian Youth Congress launches campaign to build new cadre base

To expand its cadre base among the youth, who are seen as being more responsive towards the BJP, and galvanise voters for the Lok Sabha polls, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) has launched a door-to-door campaign. While reaching out to the electorate with the party's agenda, the campaign by the youth wing of the Congress party will focus on the shortcomings of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

IYC leaders said workers would be promoted based on the number of people they reached out to through this technology-driven initiative which includes a system of audit. This grass-roots mobilisation will help the Congress expand its membership among the youth, who are seen as being disposed towards the BJP.

"Our activists will reach out to households to explain the Congress party's program and agenda like NYAY. While mobilising voters and canvassing for our candidates, the 'Chalo Ghar Ghar Abhiyaan,' will also have a system of performance evaluation, that was hitherto missing. For instance, earlier, if a worker was asked to distribute 1,000 handbills, we had no means to understand how many had actually been distributed," explained Ganesh Yadav, President of Mumbai Youth Congress.

A senior IYC leader involved in the exercise said the program would determine the number of people that a volunteer had reached out to. "Each form will contain a unique QR code. The volunteers will visit households and tell people about the Congress party's achievements and plans. They will scan the form's QR code in our in-house app and give it to the voter," he added, stating that they had in-built mechanisms to ensure volunteers did not cut corners.

This will enable the party to get a ground-up report about the campaign. The leadership will also generate daily and consolidated reports.

The form will have an optional missed call registration for voters who want the local Congress candidate to get in touch with them. The Abhiyaan will also rope in fresh cadre. Those who want to promote themselves as Youth Congress leaders can get their followers to tag them in the app.

"IYC workers who perform well in this outreach will be given positions in the party. This will help us promote the right leadership and deserving workers, who can function on the ground," the leader added.

Once seen as the sword arm of the Congress, with leaders like Sanjay Gandhi, Anand Sharma, Priyaranjan Das Munshi and Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Youth Congress has gradually seen an erosion in its importance within the larger ecosystem of the party. However, it has launched a system of internal elections to promote newer blood.

MOBILIZATION

• IYC workers who perform well in this outreach will be given positions in the party. 
   
• They will reach out to households to explain the party’s agendas 
   
• Grassroot mobilisation will help the Congress expand its membership among the youth