Jai Jagat Group is primarily led by Sachin Rao and Meenakshi Natrajan and other prominent names and faces are Girish Chodankar, Pravin Chakroverty, Krishna Allavatu, Alankar Sawai, K Raju, Harish Chaudhary, Senthil, Harshvardhan Sabkal and others.
In the midst of significant internal upheaval, the Congress party is experiencing a phase of intense transformation. At the centre of this turbulence is Rahul Gandhi’s influential and tightly knit circle of advisors. This powerful group has managed to undermine and weaken his previously strong pro-OBC (Other Backward Castes) stance, as well as his unwavering commitment to conducting a comprehensive, nation-wide caste census.
The caste census and OBC (other backward castes) issue was instrumental in the Congress winning 99 Lok Sabha seats and depriving the BJP of a majority in the 2024 general elections.
Even as the OBC council formed by Rahul Gandhi consisting of very senior OBC leaders stands disillusioned and deeply disappointed the coterie is on a roll and has managed to wrest control of the party from existing senior and established leaders, but Rahul remains oblivious of the damage inflicted by this group consisting of mainly young. And not so experienced leaders.
Just before the crucial Bihar assembly elections the Jai Jagat group as they like to call themselves has convinced Rahul Gandhi he must not speak about the entire OBC caste but specifically focus on the EBCs (Economically Backward caste) and the landless OBCs . Interestingly even an EBC manifesto has been launched by the Congress thanks to this new think tank which is known to exert a great deal of pressure on Rahul Gandhi.
Senior leaders many of whom are in the OBC council believe that this change in stance would damage the party as earlier the ratio was 80:20 with the entire OBC bloc weighing in at 80 per cent and the upper castes at 20 per cent.
They are asking the question of who will compensate for the dilution of Rahul Gandhi’s caste census issue and the polarization of the caste council.
Primarily the Jai Jagat group is working hard to influence Rahul Gandhi, set the agenda for future discourse and action, capture key posts in the party, keep inconvenient voices outside the realm of influence and run the party according to their vision.
Jai Jagat Group is primarily led by Sachin Rao and Meenakshi Natrajan and other prominent names and faces are Girish Chodankar, Pravin Chakroverty, Krishna Allavatu, Alankar Sawai, K Raju, Harish Chaudhary, Senthil, Harshvardhan Sabkal and others.
They are almost on the verge of a full-fledged takeover of the party as Senthil is their candidate for the critical post of AICC General Secretary in-charge of the organisation (GSO), the man through whom the entire party related matters pass through and are handled by.
They are in the process of engineering a coup against K C Venugopal and convince Rahul Gandhi to appoint Senthil in his place.
Interestingly all these young leaders hold important posts in the AICC and have been successful in convincing Rahul to look at the world through their prisms.
Most of them are either Brahmins or Elite Dalits which is another U turn from Rahul’s policy of adjusting upper castes in key posts. Till now he believed that the percentage of Dalits, OBCs and minorities and tribals would determine their stake in power. If they are 90 per cent then their Bhagidari would be 90 per cent.
Sachin Rao who is in-charge of training is a Brahmin.
Girish Chodankar who is AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu is a Brahmin.
Meenakshi Natrajan who is AICC in-charge charge of Telangana is a Brahmin.
Pravin Chakravarty who oversees data and the computer department is a Brahmin.
Krishna Allavaru who is AICC in-charge of Bihar is a Brahmin.
Allankar Sewai who is Rahul Gandhi’s personal assistant and wields a great deal of power in the party is a Dalit.
K Raju who is AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, is a Dalit and a former IAS officer. He was earlier looking after Rahul Gandhi’s office at his residence including his appointments etc.
Senthil who is a Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu and is in-charge of the war room is a Dalit. He is being groomed to be the next GSO of the party.
Harish Chaudhary who is AICC in-charge of Madhya Pradesh is an OBC (Jat).
Harshvardhan Sabkal who has just been made Maharashtra PCC president by this group is an OBC.
The Jai Jagat nara is that anyone aspiring to come into power in the AICC has to route themselves through this group and act according to their wishes and diktat.
And it would not be incorrect to state quite bluntly that Priyanka Gandhi “dislikes this group” and feels that irreparable damage is being done to the party by Rahul Gandhi giving them a free hand.
Sources say she also believes that Rahul Gandhi’s credibility is taken a beating after his dilution on the caste census and the entire OBC issue.
Senior leaders who are a part of the OBC council are also trying to find a rationale in his actions, but nobody is ready to speak out. Many of these are senior OBC leaders.
What is significant is that, unlike the BJP—which often embarks on major organisational or ideological experiments only while in power—the Congress Party is undertaking similar experiments during its time in opposition. Rather than consolidating and implementing new approaches from a position of strength, the Congress leadership is choosing to experiment with internal structures, leadership roles, and strategic directions while the party is out of power. This approach marks a departure from the conventional wisdom that parties prefer the stability of the status quo during challenging times, opting instead to test new ideas and configurations in hopes of revitalising their prospects.
Renu Mittal
Renu Mittal is a veteran Journalist of India. She is reporting on the Congress Party affairs since 1983.