Vikrant Bhuria or Coco Padhi? Who is going to replace Srinivas BV as IYC chief?

New Delhi: Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas BV is on his way out after holding the post for over five years.

Srinivas had taken over as an interim chief of the Youth Congress in July 2019 after the incumbent Keshav Chand Yadav resigned from the post, taking responsibility for the party's drubbing at the Lok Sabha elections.

After over a year, Srinivas was appointed a full-time IYC president in December 2020, becoming the first Kannadiga to hold the post.

He shot into the limelight during the Covid pandemic in 2020-21 when he organised relief, food and medical help, including oxygen cylinders, to the needy.

The Congress high command has now decided to replace Srinivas, 43, and give him bigger responsibilities.

He was recently appointed as a member of the screening committee for Haryana and is also expected to be accommodated in the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

After interviewing several contenders, the leadership has zeroed in on two tribal candidates - party legislator from Madhya Pradesh Vikrant Bhuria and IYC national general secretary Purnchandra Padhi, popularly known as Coco Padhi.

A surgeon-turned-politician, Bhuria, 40, is the son of former union minister Kantilal Bhuria and represents Jhabua assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He had led the state Youth Congress for over three years from December 2020 to April 2024.

On the other hand, Coco Padhi, 39, held the post of the Chhattisgarh Youth Congress president from May 2019 to June 2022. Later, he was appointed the national general secretary of the Congress party's youth wing. He is considered close to former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo. 

While Bhuria is apparently being backed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his team, Coco Padhi is said to enjoy the support of Srinivas and IYC in-charge Krishna Allavaru.

At one point, the party leadership decided to hand over the reins of the youth wing only to someone below 35 years of age. However, a section in the party argued that the norm was unjustifiable given that a person usually holds the post for nearly five years and the criteria would push many capable leaders out of the race.

It remains to be seen whether Congress's high command implements these criteria. If it does, both Bhuria and Coco Padhi would no longer be in contention while a person below 35 years will assume the charge.