(From top) Anand Sharma, CP Joshi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Oscar Fernandes

New Delhi, Nov. 16: A new frontline emerging in the Congress is pointing towards Rahul Gandhi’s growing clout, though he declined suggestions to accept a formal post that would indicate his No. 2 position in the party.

Sources disclosed that the composition of the screening committees for four poll-bound states bears Rahul’s stamp and is indicative of silent changes occurring in the high command structure that looked the same for the past many years.

Middle-rung leaders like Anand Sharma and C.P. Joshi have been chosen to head screening committees ahead of the regular faces.

Although the list has not been announced yet, sources told The Telegraph that Sharma would head the screening committee for Uttarakhand while Joshi would chair the Punjab committee.

From the regular faces in Sonia Gandhi’s team, Ghulam Nabi Azad will head the committee for Manipur and Oscar Fernandes that for Goa. The 50:50 balance in Sonia’s and Rahul’s choices is a clear manifestation of the gradual transition process, the sources said.

Both Sharma and Joshi were given important roles in the Manmohan Singh government in 2009 at Rahul’s behest. Sharma, a minister of state in UPA-I, had a dramatic rise in the coalition’s second term when he was handed charge of the important commerce ministry in place of the veteran Kamal Nath.

In the last shuffle, Sharma was even considered for an entry into the “top four” in the capacity of external affairs minister but it was decided at the last minute not to drop S.M. Krishna.

That Sharma enjoys the trust of the Gandhi family was clear when he was given Rajya Sabha nomination from Himachal Pradesh despite strong objections from then chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

Although a large section of the party conspired to deny him a second term in the Rajya Sabha, Sonia brought him from Rajasthan as the Congress did not have the strength to win a seat in Himachal where the BJP had come to power.

Sharma has often been accused of not having any experience of electoral politics, but he is now being trusted with the job of election management as screening committees do the vital job of shortlisting candidates.

Joshi, whose closeness to Rahul is no secret, had a more dramatic rise when he was made rural development minister in his first stint as cabinet minister at the Centre. He now looks after surface transport as Rahul’s more trusted commander, Jairam Ramesh, has been moved to the politically sensitive rural development ministry.

The screening committee for Uttar Pradesh, which is already operational, also saw a new face, Mohan Prakash, as its head. Eyebrows were raised over his appointment, too, as many thought he was still too junior for the job. But the trend is obviously changing in the party, known for maintaining status quo.

The second list of candidates for the poll-bound heartland state was released tonight.