Some of the key stories for this recognition include rejuvenating the congress party in Uttar Pradesh, trying to make the Youth Congress vibrant and shunning cabinet position. Rahul had clarified, “ I don't want to do ten things at a time. I want to do one thing at a time and right now I want to build the party.”

Rahul Gandhi has come a long way since he entered Parliament as a young M.P from Amethi in May 2004. Today, he is recognized as the third pillar in the party after the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Rahul has many advantages including his birth and his lineage. Within the party he is referred to as “ Yuvaraj.” First of all, he is the unifying factor for the party. Secondly, he is young and can afford to wait. Thirdly, he is the front-runner among the younger generation leaders for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Fourthly, he has struck the right chord by moving around the country and identifying himself with the common man and poor. Fifthly, he has no challengers in the party. Sixthly, his renunciation of power is an endearing factor to many Indians.

For the first four years, the young Gandhi confined himself to Amethi and U.P. disappointing his own party. But just before the U.P. elections in 2007, he undertook a rigorous election campaign. Although the Congress did not win many seats and Mayawati's BSP swept the polls, this campaign became a dress rehearsal for him.

Rahul Gandhi came into full bloom during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls when he managed the show along with his mother Sonia Gandhi. The mother - son duo were the star campaigners. He came out of his shell and addressed 125 rallies criss- crossing the country in six weeks while Sonia Gandhi spoke in 75 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 50 meetings. Prior to that, he spent many nights burning the midnight oil strategizing for the campaign.

The party gave the young Gandhi full credit for its victory in the 2009 polls and more so for his strategy for going it alone in U.P and elsewhere. The” ekla chalo” trick worked wonders. The results were unexpected even to those who were optimistic as the party increased its tally to 21 from nine in the previous elections. In Bihar, although it won only two seats, the party managed to poll more votes. Above all, his gamble to field younger candidates was a great success.

What is Rahul's strategy? He is not a young man in haste and not looking for short-term gains. Secondly he wants to reach the top in his own right and that is why he is doing this “Bharat darshan,” getting to know the country and the people. Although he is a beneficiary of the dynastic politics, he had admitted publicly “ I have an advantage of my celebrated name. It has guaranteed me in an easy entry to the highest echelons of political power. I have greater access and an easy induction. But I know that there are many amongst you who do not have the same advantage. I want to give you that opportunity, no more political patronage and parochial favoritism, it will be fair and equal.” He also wants to create a new leadership in the party. He has a long- term goal of rejuvenating the party and spend the next five years to build up the party, as he is aware that without the foot soldiers there can be no victory. In this endeavor, he has certainly managed to make some headway. He plans to enlist ten million young people in Youth Congress and also democratise the party by holding elections. He has already managed to get about 1.5 million to join the Youth Congress. He expects a new leadership to emerge from this lot. The only question mark would be about the quality of the new leadership.

Rahul Gandhi is probably looking at the 2014 election scenario. There is going to be a sea change in the election scene by that time. The older generation is almost on its way out giving way to younger generation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and leaders like L.K. Advani, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, would be out of the race. Rahul has already stolen a march over the younger lot after the 2009 polls. Right now the opposition is total disarray. But a hat trick for the UPA is going to be a difficult task,

So far Rahul Gandhi has avoided any major controversy. However, building up a party, which has been used to getting votes in the name of its leader is not going to be easy. With money power and muscle power overtaking everything else in politics, Rahul will have a tough time picking up the right persons for the right job. He is now on a honeymoon period with the people and if he does not utilize it properly, he would fritter away the goodwill he has earned so far. He should also think of the party as a whole and not just confine himself to Youth Congress and NSUI. Rahul Gandhi seems to be on the right track but he should be aware that the system always resists changes. The man of the year recognition should be seen for his potentials just as US President Obama was given the Nobel Prize for his potentials. (IPA Service)