After 40 years in Gandhi family borough, Rajiv's 'high potential boy' is Congress pick

NEW DELHI: Kishori Lal Sharma is the first of the cadre of youngsters recruited by Rajiv Gandhi who, new to politics in 1983, had the idea of creating a team of young ideologues who would provide feedback on the implementation of govt policies and also specialise in constituency management. They came to be known as the "high potential boys", a total of 10 shortlisted out of 135 following an evaluation of their performance in districts where they were posted for some time.

AICC general secretary and J&K politician Ghulam Ahmed Mir recalls that Sharma and he, part of the first batch, were very young, and were sent to Amethi to look after the constituency. While Mir went on to become a name in Kashmir politics, Sharma, who hails from Ludhiana, stayed on with Amethi and Rae Bareli , spending four decades in the family borough. "After the Nehru-Gandhi family, Sharma is the man best known to workers and locals," Mir said.

No wonder, he was elated at his "batchmate" becoming the Congress candidate for the VIP seat. Mir now plans to campaign for his friend in the constituency he once managed for the party and its first family.

Four decades of affiliation, from Rajiv Gandhi to Satish Sharma to Sonia Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, and the resultant trust, is what made the Gandhis pick "Kishoriji" above any relative or loyalist as the standard bearer in the place identified with them.

A soft-spoken Punjabi known for his man skills, Sharma has managed a low profile while delivering high results. As Sonia and Rahul worked on the national stage during the UPA decade, he was the go-to man who patiently listened to the demanding constituents used to having the personal ear of prime ministers and potential PMs, managing the local office and travelling across the region, with a team of aides. From time to time, he would also bring batches of people for personal audience with the VIPs, working overtime to keep all in good humour. The voters of Amethi-Rae Bareli-Sultanpur were famously known as pampered. In Delhi, he would operate faceless out of a South Avenue bungalow, attending to visitors from the family borough.

What set him apart from others was that he stayed on in one place, building a wealth of knowledge about mohallas, villages, castes, and their political leanings. His data bank on demographics and a keen eye on shifting sands of local politics has served the party well, a reason why rivals found it hard to break through the fortress barring the occasional success. As Mir recalls, Sharma has stayed put for four decades, which is impossible for a political worker given personal aspirations.

When Rahul came to politics in 2004, he built his team for the constituency, while Sharma looked after Rae Bareli. But he was the overall incharge, keeping an eye on the goings on. He also became an AICC secretary, looking after other states like Bihar.

An aide joked that "Kishoriji" would find it difficult to fight polls because he would forever be concerned if his campaign team was managing as competently for him, as he has been doing for others. So highly is his work rated.

Now, with a twist of fate turning him from a campaigner to a candidate, on a seat with eyes across the nation trained on, this is Sharma's moment to live up to his original billing as "high potential boy".