Anil Anand
The jury is still out to fathom as to what really transpired behind an unprecedented and unexpected outcome in the Maharashtra assembly election. With Haryana riddle still to be resolved, where Congress countered a similar unexpected defeat but not as shaking as in Maharashtra, except for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being touted as the villains, the crisis seemed to have deepened.
Yes, debate on the efficacy of the EVMs has further picked up as soon as the surprise that had sprung up in Maharashtra polls became public. However, the Maharashtra story seems to have more to it than merely the alleged manipulation of the EVMs. Both the “malfunctioning” of the voting machines and other factors leading to a resounding victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti combine, need more probing and deep-seated analysis before reaching a firm conclusion.
This debate and related factors apart wherein the BJP have emerged as the kingpin or the master of ceremonies, the other more important aspect, of course, in the centre of electoral “Kurukshetra” is the Congress. Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu region (of Jammu and Kashmir) and now Maharashtra, politically second important state -with 48 Lok Sabha seats and financial hub of the country- after Uttar Pradesh. Coming one after the other, the defeats havemade things difficult for the party whose response, all these months, has been found wanting.
For a moment keep the “EVM and other manipulative theories” aside. It is time for quick soul-searching by the Congress big-wigs and strategists. Apart from the matured leadership provided by Mr Mallikarjun Kharge in leading the party and Mr Rahul Gandhi’s image overhaul particularly after his twin walkathons across the country and attracting people’s imagination, nothing much has happened in the party to either rejuvenate or overhaul the organizational network. Opportunities created by these factors have, in fact, been squandered.
As a matter of fact, organizationally the Congress is in shambles particularly in the states. There has been no visible attempt, for inexplicable reasons, to rejuvenate the organisation through bringing about across the board changes both in terms of strategy and set-up. The decision-making is as shoddy and sloppy, and at times totally missing, as it was before either Mr Kharge took charge or Mr Gandhi set-out on his padyatras.
Realisation should have dawned on the decision makers at the top that for any leader to succeed or successfully lead the party, a prerequisite is to have a well-oiled organizational machinery in place with a strategy to keep firing the imagination of the lower rungs of leadership and the rank file, with new ideas and idioms. After all, the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apart from the official back up, has the solid support of a strong organization.
The Congress cannot afford to wait for another day to take decisions on organizational matters or conduct post-mortem on electoral debacles. It has to be a process on war-footing with a total transparency and strict action, thereof, based on the findings of the probe, if ordered any. Up till now, there are no indications if any inquest into electoral defeats in the states/UTs which went to polls recently, was ordered/ undertaken by the Congress managers. At least, there is no visible evidence.
In the midst of Maharashtra catastrophe there came a silverlining for the party which is crumbling under the weight of the burnt out old-guard, deadwood and the non-performing assets in among the other age groups of leadership. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s maiden electoral victory, and entering into Parliament, with an impressive margin, and, at a lower scale, the party’s student wing winning the post of president in the coveted Delhi Union Students Union elections after a gap of seven years.
Apart from Delhi assembly elections slated for February 2025, there are no significant poll-outings in sight in near future. This should be reason enough for the Congress strategists to set the process in motion to review the entire gamut of mechanism related to the organization and electoral processes, without any further delay.
The prevailing situation must spur a change of leadership at the national levels accompanied by far-reaching changes in the State/Union Territory units. After the emphatic victory of Mrs Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala, the prophets of doom have already embarked on campaignregarding Rahul versus Priyanka power struggle in the offing in Congress. This is more as an extension of anti-Congress and anti-Nehru-Gandhi tirade than anything flowing out of conviction.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the party president will certainly bring a whiff of fresh air. Let there be comparisons between the two siblings, who have distinct styles of working, but this change at the top cannot wait anymore. They can work as a more cohesive team who can more effectively complement each other than anyone else.
The process to create a young team has already been started by Mr Gandhi but it is painstakingly slow with old guard becoming a stumbling block. Time has come to call a spade a spade and corner those who are acting more as impediments than helping reenergize the party. Or else, the Congress as an organization will further slip into a deep crevasse.
The party must evolve a new working model at the levels of AICC and particularly in states and more so in the conduct and supervision of elections at the states and Union Territory levels. The model should be squarely based on fixing accountability and incentivizing the performs and punishing the saboteurs and non-performers. Presently, even saboteurs and non-performers have been ruling the roost and, in cases, rewarded even after presiding over electoral rout in states and Union Territories under their charge.
The context here is to appointing state/Union Territory in-charges. As a sample, the role of such appointees in the recently held elections in half-a-dozen states should be picked up as a study model. This will be quite a revelation.
Such in-charges, in fact, have ended up becoming powers onto themselves. Instead of strengthening the party in the states under their charge, they invariably contribute to intensify factionalism. A more interesting factor is that these in-charges are encouraged to pursue this line by their bosses sitting in the AICC. As a result, no one is held responsible for either not toning up the organization or in the case of an electoral debacle.
In the recent past the members of the old guard have either left the party, at crucial junctures, looking for greener pastures, or failed miserably whenever put on key assignments. Is there any justification in perpetuating their dominance and at times having the gall to resort to blackmailing tactics?
The grand old party, while banking on its rich history, must re-orient itself to modern day challenges. The key to this re-orientation will be a new-look organization with an underlying principle of strict accountability.
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