What are Mastan Vali, Congress MLA from Andhra Pradesh, and Mangat Rai Bansal, MLA from Budhlada in Punjab, doing in Kolkata for the past 40 days? Why has Yogita Muralidharan, a Youth Congress activist from Maharashtra, been travelling through Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar for the past couple of weeks? And what has Ram Dayal Uike, a young MLA from Chattisgarh, been up to in Lalgarh and Jhargram recently?

They are Rahul Gandhi’s men and women in West Bengal.

Over the past six months, at least 42 MLAs from across India have been deputed by Rahul to silently work and know Bengal — prepare a political status report on the Congress and the Youth Congress at the ground level, and create a climate for a vigorous Youth Congress membership drive.

Thus, Mastan Vali is a “zonal coordinator”, Bansal is a “parliament in-charge” and they are constructing a profile of three Lok Sabha constituencies in Kolkata, including the South Kolkata constituency of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Muralidharan is doing the same for the Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituencies. Uike has completed his work in the Jhargram constituency, and is likely to present his findings to Rahul soon.

Cooch Behar is currently with the Forward Bloc; Jalpaiguri is with the CPM. Both are reserved (SC) constituencies. Jhargram, an ST seat, has a CPM MP. “We are not bothered about which political party or personality is dominating where, our sole mission is to build confidence among young Congress workers,” said Vali.

“It’s a never-before exercise,” said Manas Bhuniya, the newly-elected president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress, about what is being described as the prelude to Rahul Gandhi’s “look at Bengal” strategy. “Suddenly the mood among young Congress supporters is upbeat,” said Bhuniya.

Before the 42 MLAs came a batch of 11 ‘zonal coordinators’, each of whom worked in three or four Lok Sabha constituencies, overseeing the MLAs. Some of them are still at work in their designated areas. At the end of the exercise, the West Bengal Congress will have a steamlined, elected, talented and youthful leadership from the grassroots to the top with a clear chain of command, say party leaders in the state.

“My mission has been successful. We will have at least 200,000 Youth Congress members in the tribal heartland of Jhargram by the end of September,” said Uike.

If the plans go right, Rahul may be in a position to make the leap from Lanjigarh to Lalgarh soon. The Congress general secretary reached out to the tribals in Orissa this week, and is said to be looking for a chance to address a rally as close to Lalgarh as possible during his visits to Bengal beginning in the first week of September.

The rally in Jhargram could be held in the third week of September, party sources said. Rahul will address a rally in Kolkata on September 6, and Sonia Gandhi is expected to speak at an extended northeastern AICC session at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in the city on September 25.

“Like everywhere else, Rahulji is looking for dedicated young people in rural Bengal. He strongly believes there are smart youth in the rural areas who are well versed in public affairs,” said Kesava Rao, AICC member in charge of West Bengal.

The CPM has taken note of the Congress activity. On August 22, about 50 armed CPM goons raided a house in a village in Garbeta, West Midnapore, where Uike was to address Congress workers, and assaulted the group. Six Congress workers were injured. Uike said tribals in Jhargram who were showing interest in the Congress were being threatened “by cadres of the ruling party”.

Last month, Usha Naidu, another Youth Congress organiser who was studying demographics, the implementation of central and state-sponsored schemes, public grievances and the public mood, was accosted by aggressive Trinamool Congres workers at Khejuri.

“The TMC is stopping our free movement and hired goons of the CPM are attacking us in the interiror villages. What is the difference between the two,” Naidu told The Indian Express.

That the Trinamol isn’t happy is evident from statements made by leaders like Union Minister of State Sisir Adhikari: “We have fought with blood and sweat against the CPM to save our cadres and free many areas from their political domination. And now leaders from outside are flocking to the state.”