LS polls: Congress panelists discuss media strategy

With electronic media playing a key role in reaching out to people, newly-appointed Congress panelists today deliberated on ways and means to add teeth to the party's media strategy ahead of next general elections.

The meeting chaired by AICC general secretary and its media department in-charge Janardan Dwivedi assumes significance as it comes at a time when opposition BJP has been increasingly relying on both electronic and social media to disseminate its viewpoints to the people.

The meeting held at 15 Rakabganj Road, popularly known as Congress War Room, was attended by several young leaders who have been drafted by the party for the task.

This group is in addition to the eight new spokespersons the party has appointed and three new teams set up to collate and disseminate party's view point in public domain, including on social media, after Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress Vice-President.

Union Ministers Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shashi Tharoor, R P N Singh, Deepa Dasmunsi, Jayanti Natrajan, Rajiv Shukla, AICC secretaries Meenakshi Natrajan, Shantaram Naik, Ashok Tanwar, Arun Yadav, Deependra Hooda are among the 36 leaders who have been authorised the task of participating in debates and discussions in the media.

Anant Gadgil, son of late Congress veteran V N Gadgil, and Youth Congress chief Rajiv Satav have also been included in the panel.

Congress leaders Abhishek Singhvi, Girija Vyas, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Jagdambika Pal, Rajeev Gowda, P L Punia, Rita Joshi, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Nadeem Javed are other members in the panel.