Concerned over the party's dismal showing at the recent panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi [Images] and her son Rahul Gandhi [Images] have constituted a core group each in their constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi to take party's policies and programmes to people directly, specially in the rural areas.

The core groups, which have 1,170 workers each in both the constituencies, were working towards taking party's policies among the people as also the contribution of the Gandhi family, former SPG Inspector General Rama Swami, who has been made in-charge of both the groups, said in Amethi on Thursday.

Two of the Rahul's school days friends - Kanish Singh and Vijaya Krishnamurty - are also working in the in his core group. Interestingly, the history of Congress and the Gandhi family has been included in the primary schools run by each in all the gram panchayats in the constituency.

The core group workers, who have been given blue uniforms with a tricolour on it, have been imparted training in social service, teaching, polling booth monitoring, Ramaswami said, adding that the groups had a separate wing of women workers.

Besides the core group, K L Sharma, political incharge of both the Congress leaders in their constituencies, has been instructed to tour 10 eastern districts of the state in order to strengthen the base of the party.