Cong to launch talent hunt for new media faces

Congress will hold a five-day special training session-cum-selection for its new media faces, which will be addressed by senior party leaders, Union Ministers and experts.
There was no official word from the party whether Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will be participating in the session or not.
The issues likely to come up during the workshop are food security, changes in the land acquistion process, UPA's works, tribal rights, minority upliftment and welfare of various social groups.
Sources said the exercise, which is also some sort of a talent hunt, aims at picking up around 30 young and articulate persons who could be accommodated as national as well as state spokesperson besides joining the ranks of the 36 television panelists of Congress.

Ever since Gandhi took over as party Vice President in January this year, a performance evaluation system is functioning in all wings of the party, including in media, and hence there is a possiblity that along with the induction of fresh talent in the media team, some of the spokesperosns and television panelists could be dropped.
Earlier, Congress had organized a two-day media session on July 22-23 to tone up the party's communication strategy and to institutionalise a framework for it in all states ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

It had also organized another one-day workshop dedicated to the social media on August 23, both of which were addressed by Rahul Gandhi among others.

After the July media workshop, the party has set up social media teams in a number of states.
There has been a focus in Congress on strengthening the party's presence on social media this year after Gandhi was anointed as Vice President.
60 to 65 media faces selected in the earlier workshops will undergo training as well tests during the five-day programme after which they will be formally accommodated in the party.