The Congress has launched a new experiment in organisational restructuring by introducing a “National Media Talent Hunt Programme” to select spokespersons across the country. Jharkhand will soon begin its state-level process, with party leaders calling it a modern and transparent way to bring fresh talent into political communication.
State Congress president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh said the new process breaks away from recommendation-driven selections. Instead, it will function like a structured talent search designed to identify articulate, politically aware and ideologically committed individuals who can represent the party at the state and regional levels. Jharkhand has been divided into seven zones to ensure representation from across the state.
According to the Congress, the programme aims to build a pool of communicators who understand the Constitution, political history and current issues, and who can present the party’s positions with clarity and factual grounding. The criteria reflect an effort to strengthen the organisation’s ideological base at a time of heightened political polarisation.
AICC spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil, who is overseeing the programme for Eastern India, said the initiative is intended to bring in voices that may not have political links but hold strong democratic values. He said the process is designed to reduce dependence on patronage and give talented individuals a direct route into the organisation. He added that many citizens want to contribute to public discourse, and the talent hunt creates space for such engagement.
The Congress has also linked the initiative to what it describes as tightening control over mainstream and social media by the central government. Londhe alleged that administrative pressure is being used to influence media platforms, making it necessary for the party to strengthen its communication structure. The programme is being projected as a step toward preparing trained spokespersons who can respond swiftly, counter misinformation and uphold democratic debate.
A notable feature of the process is the inclusion of experts from NGOs, civil society and the media to ensure transparency and professional scrutiny. Congress leaders say the initiative is likely to attract young professionals, researchers, journalists and social workers who want to engage with politics but lack an accessible entry point.
The BJP, however, dismissed the initiative. Party’s state media in-charge Shivpujan Pathak said the Congress has “nothing meaningful left to do” and that the talent hunt would end up as a “flop show” like its previous campaigns. He said the final selection would eventually go to a member of a district or state-level old Congress family, who would then be projected as the programme’s discovery.