The Congress party is running two parallel yatras, “Bharat Jodo” and “President Doondo,” apparently for the revival after facing severe electoral setbacks and internal dissent.
On September 9, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched his 3500km “Bharat Jodo” yatra from Kanyakumari, flanked by party colleagues and allies. Sonner, various state units began voicing their interest in having Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs as the Congress President.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the scene unfolding was different. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was summoned by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi asking him to contest the Party Presidential Poll.
Initially, everyone believed Gehlot would become the next Congress President. However, his desire to retain the state chief ministership parallelly shot down his national-level aspirations.
Rahul Gandhi’s assertion on ‘One Man, One Post’ gave a message to Gehlot that he can’t dictate terms to the party leadership. And it’s evident that even if a non-Gandhi becomes the Congress President, the person will not be the party’s Prime ministerial candidate.
Moreover, the tussle in Rajasthan made it clear that more than his penchant for the CM chair, Gehlot’s resolve to keep Sachin Pilot away is stronger. So, in a way, the party denouncing his candidature must have come as a relief to him and his loyalists, who threatened to quit if Ashok Gehlot moved to Delhi.
Subsequently, Rajya Sabha Opposition leader and Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor were announced as the two contestants. Another Gandhi loyalist, Digvijaya Singh, chose to step out of the race in favor of Kharge, and former Jharkhand Minister K. N. Tripathi’s nomination was rejected for a signature mismatch.
Now the fight for the Congress President post is between Kharge and Tharoor. The result certainly is not so hard to predict. So, if ultimately a Gandhi-family loyalist is going to take up the role of the Congress President, what is the need for an election?
Quite apparently, it’s an exercise to show cadres and voters that the Congress party is indeed democratic. And more certainly, to quell dissent within and answer BJP’s constant criticism that Congress is a family-run party.
Above all, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra has a specific message –“Whoever wins the party President poll, the de facto leader and the popular face of Congress will be a Gandhi.”
In all likelihood, after the Bharat Jodo and President Doondo yatras, Rahul Gandhi would slide back into his ‘lead-when-you-will-win’ mode, with Mallikarjun Kharge as the loyal President of the Congress party. And Shashi Tharoor will be hailed as the noble cadre who accepted the defeat with his signature-style grin.