NEW DELHI: Congress campaign for 2014 so far is distinguished most by an absence — of party president Sonia Gandhi. The leader who put Congress in power in 2004 and 2009 is all but absent from posters, advertisements, other campaign material — and most crucially, all major rallies. In Congress’ high-visibility ‘hands-that-built-India’ advertisement, Sonia makes an appearance in the final frames, but only to be supplanted by a montage of Rahul Gandhi leading a group.It’s Rahul all the way. But Congress, some of its senior leaders say, is feeling Sonia’s absence, and a major Sonia-led offensive is being planned from March-end. One Sonia rally is, in fact, planned for this weekend in Delhi. Hyderabad, Bihar and Assam will be on her itinerary next. Party functionaries and leaders of alliance partners ET spoke to — they participated on the condition they not be identified — confirmed that Sonia had made it clear Rahul and other senior leaders should take final calls on party affairs and had given herself a less-visible role. Queries addressed by ET to Sonia and Rahul’s offices elicited no response.Sonia’s absence has been felt not just in what some Congress leaders feel is a lacklustre campaign but also in the party’s attempt to stitch up alliances and keeping the flock together, a Congress leader said. When Lok Janshakti Party boss Ram Vilas Paswan met Sonia in late January, after the initial talks she asked Paswan’s son and leader of the LJP parliamentary party, Chirag, to take the matter forward with Rahul. But the alliance did not materialise.Congress leaders also say DMK walked out of alliance talks because party supremo K Karunanidhi was upset at not being given enough “respect”. “Rahul never met Karunanidhi,” a Congress functionary said. “These things are important”. “Our allies have known Sonia for a long time. Don’t forget she is the longest serving president of the party, so in a way the allies have grown up with her,” said another leader who has been involved in alliance talks.Congress leaders also worry about departures of veterans. “When people such as Jagdambika Pal and Satpal Maharaj, who are not party hoppers by any stretch of imagination, leave the party then it is time to realise that there is a problem. It is not just that there is a better opportunity out there, what they are saying is that there is no faith in the changing order,” a senior leader said. Recently, Sonia did play a role in convincing former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh to take on BJP leader Arun Jaitley in Amritsar, a Congress leader said. But such instances, when the Congress president actively seeks out a party leader or a coalition partner for the sake of a good fight, are exceptions, this leader added.“Now that things are falling apart, she is trying to keep them together,” said a Congress leader referring to plans now being made to increase her participation and visibility in Congress campaign efforts. Senior Congress leaders said Sonia is attempting a smooth transition, a handing over of the baton from an older team to a new one. “The buck still stops at her desk. But she would like to see the next generation take on mantle,” said a senior UP Congress leader.Her absence in the Congress campaign and her wanting the next generation to take charge of her party have been complemented by her interventions for Rahul when the latter has found himself in a tricky situation, Congress leaders said. They gave the example of Rahul’s interview with Times NOW that was dubbed a PR disaster by Congressmen and others. Sonia led the fight back with her “zeher ki kheti” (harvest of poison) remark at a public meeting in Gulbarga on February 1, a Congress leader said.Such interventions, a senior Congress strategist said, are reactive, they are very different from aggressive Sonia-fronted campaigns. Sonia does make crucial backroom interventions, another leader said. Recently, when P Chidambaram, GK Vasan, KV Thangkabalu and Jayanthi Natarajan said they won’t contest, it was Sonia who ensured their decision does not become an excuse to write off an entire generation of leaders, this Congressman said. “Rahulji decided that the party would field only under-35 candidates sourced from the Indian Youth Congress in the state. At this point, the senior leaders made a representation to the Congress president. It was only after she intervened that seniors such as Elangovan and Mani Shankar Aiyar got tickets,” said this Congress leader.Again, when NCP leaders made it known that BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi was no longer a political pariah, Sonia led the efforts to mollify Sharad Pawar, a Congress leader said. But the Congress president, many middle-level Congressmen feel, has to play a bigger role. “Rahulji and his coterie have little or no time for small-time functionaries in the states. These people feel less valued. This is not the case with Soniaji. She hears people out and there is a sense that everyone has something to contribute,” a senior leader said.And these mid-level leaders worry about Sonia Gandhi disappearing from posters and poll ads. “The Congress president remains a reassuring figure. Even in the Seemandhra region, despite the disquiet over Congress leadership’s handling of the state’s bifurcation, there is a grudging acceptance that Soniaji is a strong and determined lady. Her picture should be there on the posters, in the advertisements,” said an Andhra leader.A veteran Congress national-level leader said, “Sonia has to be more active, a few rallies and public addresses are no longer enough.” He isn’t the only Congressman making the point. The Congress campaign will soon see a Sonialed makeover.