Soumik Hossain,28,is searching for a ground anywhere in his constituency that can serve as a helipad. Rahul Gandhi has promised to campaign for him in Domkal,240 km from Kolkata. Soumik,son of an MP,is the Youth Congress president in Murshidabad and is banking on the 30,000 members Rahul has freshly recruited,and on the campaigners he will pick from the elite choices the leader has given him. Such as Md Azharduddin and Raj Babbar. Protima Razak,32,is not from a political family but she too has a choice of star campaigners,in addition to Rahuls assured presence in her seat,Burwan. Sabina Yasmin,33,contesting from Mothabari,too has Rahuls backing. So have Hari Mohan Urao in Mal,Ibrahim Mollah in Canning East,Umapada Bauri in Purulia and Soumitra Khan in Katulpur,each a Youth Congress member and below 35. The nominations have ended legacies of decades,many veterans have been upset,and rebels from within the party are contesting against some of Rahuls candidates. The choice of Yasmin,for instance,has upset the Khan Chowdhurys in Malda. The family has independently fielded Shehnaz Quadery,52,niece of the late Ghani Khan Chowdhury and his brother A H Khan Chowdhury. Against the odds is youthful enthusiasm. With a new Youth Congress structure in place,we have defeated the SFI (CPM student wing) in many colleges, says Soumik. There is also eloquence. 1977 Down Left Front Express is leaving platform number 34, reads the graffiti on walls in Khajuna village in Protimas constituency,both numbers playing on the Left Fronts years. Protima is going door to door with promises of water,education and healthcare. There is only one college with not many humanities subjects. The health centre is 15 km away. Yasmin was picked by Rahul following a recommendation by Mausam Benazir Noor,state Youth Congress president. Yasmin is the president in Malda zilla parishad and a college guest lecturer in sociology. I got a surprise call from Delhi and they gave me the seat, she says. Rahul will campaign for the seven this month. For each candidate we have a co-ordination team and a campaign team, says Noor.
