Fernandes, Soni: What’s in store?

New Delhi, Oct. 25: The impending shuffle of the Congress organisation could be a “minor” one, just like the cabinet’s.

With two organisational heavyweights, Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora, staying put in the party — last week there was speculation that one of them, possibly Vora, might be inducted into the cabinet — any change carried out in future will, essentially, “fill in the blanks”.

Sources said the question mark over Rahul Gandhi’s induction remains because the dominant view is that since Congress president Sonia Gandhi was at the “peak of her popularity”, there is no political need to deflect the focus from her leadership.

Both A.K. Antony and Oscar Fernandes — the first was appointed a cabinet minister and the second, who was a minister of state without portfolio, was given the labour and employment portfolio — were likely to keep their jobs in the party.

Antony is a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), its apex decision-making body, while Fernandes is a permanent invitee to the panel. Antony, in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka, heads the committee constituted to draw up the programmes to commemorate the satyagraha centenary.

Fernandes was given independent charge of the Northeast and, informally, of frontal organisations, such as the National Students’ Union of India and the Youth Congress.

Sources said Karnataka may be taken away from Antony and reassigned to an existing functionary because of its “importance” to the Congress. The party expects mid-term elections in the state, given the shaky nature of the BJP-JD (S) coalition government.

Sonia had praised Fernandes while talking to reporters after the new ministers were sworn in at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.

“It is difficult to replace Oscar, he manages to find a lot of time for party work,” she said.

Sources said Fernandes has indicated he would stick to his routine of spending two or three hours after midnight every day at the party headquarters on 24, Akbar Road.

If Rahul is brought in as general secretary, it is possible he may be given charge of the Congress’s frontal outfits. Until then, Fernandes is likely to keep them.

Ambika Soni had given up her role in the party to join the government in the previous shuffle, but she remains in charge of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. But the Congress president may put another party functionary in charge of Himachal, where elections will be due in 2008.