Lok Sabha Polls: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's meeting with Congress workers lasted till 5:30 in the morning.
Congress workers meeting with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Uttar Pradesh are being asked to fill in a feedback form that asks for their caste and sub-caste besides details of their social media presence.
Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who are sharing the task of leading the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh, held meetings with party workers that went on till late; Priyanka Gandhi's meeting ended at 5:30 am this morning while Jyotiraditya Scindia met with workers till 2.30 am.
The feedback form begins with the standard entries for the name, father or husband's name, gender and birthday.
Then it asks for "jaati (caste)", upjaati (sub-caste), education and occupation.
The feedback form reflects the Congress's new attempt to revive its base at the grassroots level in Uttar Pradesh.
Are you on WhatsApp or Twitter, the respondents are asked, and if the answer is yes, they are asked to give their number and Twitter handle. They are asked to write about their post in the party, if any, in detail and declare whether they contested any election.
Finally, there are two lines for them to pen down their comments.
The form reflects the Congress's new attempt to revive its base at the grassroots level in Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically crucial state with the most number of parliamentary seats - 80.
The party assesses that its sharp decline over the past few decades is linked to its lost grip on workers at the lowest levels - a vital connect that the BJP has mastered over the past several elections.
"A lot of the focus of the meetings headed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji has been on meeting with booth level leaders," said Deepak Singh, a Congress lawmaker who is considered close to the Gandhi family.
"I think it would be foolhardy not to accept that we have weakened in the last few years in that count but pessimism is a thing of the past and we are committed to reviving our party at the booth level under Priyankaji and Jyotiradityaji. The BJP may claim to have solid booth management but I feel that most of their claims are empty sloganeering," he asserted.