The Congress presidential election — a contest between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor — culminated the way everyone anticipated. From the beginning, it was clear on the wall that a ‘Gandhi loyalist’ would be anointed the party president, and the blessed one was Mallikarjun Kharge.
His victory speech hailing the sacrifice of Sonia Gandhi and how she nurtured the party for the last 23 years said it all. He also glorified Rahul Gandhi’s mission against ‘bigotry’ through his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
It is apparent that Mr. Gandhi’s rank in the party is above the “Congress President.” And a non-Gandhi can only be a chief servitor in the party. Minimum, that’s the public perception. Kharge underscored it when he said Rahul Gandhi took time out of his busy yatra schedule to call and greet him for winning the Congress presidential poll.
Incidentally, media outlets pointed out that Mallikarjun Kharge’s posters as the Congress President were ready by Wednesday (October 19, 2022) morning itself, endorsing the speculation that it’s a predetermined election. Rahul Gandhi’s “Ask Kharge!” reply before the official announcement of poll results, with a quirky sense of generosity, added to the speculation.
Certainly, no Congress leader would admit it. Because any such open admission would kill the purpose of the Congress President Election (2022), meant to tell voters, rebels within the party, allies, and rivals, “look, there is internal democracy in the Congress.”
However, it’s an election. If Kharge has to win, someone has to lose. Shashi Tharoor willfully accepted the pre-conceived defeat. He was either instructed to play the losing contender whining about the lapses in the system to give a touch of reality or went a little overboard. So he will be seen either as a fallen angel in the party or a noble sacrificer.
Let’s look at the larger picture covering the entire span of the Congress party. Congress leaders have been capitalizing on the brand value of “Gandhi” all the while. Their political existence is rooted in this brand loyalty. So they would want only ‘Kharges’ to win.
The dissenters within the party, like the G-23 leaders, are a tiny minority who cannot command a similar loyalty from Congress cadres. They aren’t going to revolt and overthrow the leadership, either. So it’s going to be business as usual for the Congress party.
Image: PTI