Anil Anand
The more the Congress tries to change, the more it remains the same. Inaction and status quo continue to be the hallmarks of the over a century old party, which unmoved by the electoral shocks in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir, gears to contest Delhi assembly elections in the same frame of mind. It has not been able to win a single seat in the last two assembly elections and hoping to open its account this time around.
Will it be able to do so? Or, will it be able to spring a surprise by bouncing back in view of the total confusion prevailing in BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) circles, for different reasons.
As the battlelines are being drawn and the election campaign beginning to pick up, the Congress seems to be a poor starter. None else but the party leadership and strategists are themselves to be blamed. The only good note was that the lists of candidates had been declared without creating a smoke screen. The midnight drama which the declaration of candidates’ list used to be typical of the Congress, gave way to declaring candidates in the broad day light.
The party might be seeing it as a positive but there is the darker side to it as well. Fact of the matter is that Congress has been facing total dearth of good candidates and hence lack of competition and resultant much lesser number of candidates seeking the party mandate. This, of course, is the result of total lack of interest shown by the party high command in toning up the local organizational set up for the elections well in advance with simultaneous projection of prospective candidates in the 70-assembly constituencies.
On top of that the Congress in Delhi, locally, is absolutely bereft of effective leadership. The old guard, squarely responsible for creating hurdles to allow the new genre of leadership take over, has either developed cold feet or busy securing mandate for their wards and subsequently campaigning for them. There is a total void in Congress for want of good leadership and total lack of cohesiveness.
The Congress high command, despite a contrary stand taken by senior Delhi leader Ajay Maken, wasted valuable time in cultivating AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the name of strengthening I.N.D.I.A grouping of the opposition parties. To be fair to Mr Kejriwal he, from the very beginning, has refused to yield an inch of space to Congress which is the largest party in the alliance with pan-India presence. Naturally, the central pivot of the opposition unity, a crucial factor which Mr Kejriwal refused to acknowledge in the face of his own political ambitions soaring sky high with unmatching political presence across the country, leave aside Punjab.
Even if it was clear that he will not respectably adjust Congress if AAP were to contest the assembly election in alliance, the Congress strategists wasted valuable time not to draw electoral plans. It would have entailed uniting, of whatever has been left, the traditional leadership and making them agree to a futuristic plan through working on a strategy to develop a younger leadership, across the board, in mind.
While the AAP has over the decade systematically eroded and snatched away the Congress’s traditional support base with BJP continuing to pound it, many of the Congress leaders, opportunistically, headed either to AAP or BJP, either under duress or simply looking for better prospects. No effort, whatsoever, was made by the AICC to arrest this trend. In fact, the lightweights and none-too-familiar with Delhi’s local politics, persons made central in charge of the party’s affairs in the capital city added to the mess.
This is not to suggest that both BJP and AAP are comfortably placed. However, well-oiled organizational set up, a foundational support base and plentiful economic resources give them an edge over the Congress. Given the fact that both BJP and AAP are facing varying degrees of organizational turmoil and anti-incumbency, the Congress, through timely planning, could have placed itself in a better position to create niche for itself in the emerging triangular contest. As of today, it does not seem to be the case.
Fact of the matter is that a cursory look at the list of Congress candidates does not brook any confidence in the public mind. A similar feeling grips vis-à-vis the BJP and APP lists as well. It was here the Congress could have done differently and started on a fresh note as most of its deadwood (read established leaders) had already deserted the party.
From here on much will depend on how the Congress in its current form makes best use of the situation. The candidates are its weakest link and the party has to plan and build its campaign in a centralized fashion thereby focusing on the local issues with not much focus on the candidates.
It would be an advantage if Congress high command announces a chief ministerial candidate to score a brownie point over BJP and AAP as none of its two arch-rivals have announced CM nominee. Yes, Mr Kejriwal is the AAP’s candidate but in view of the legal hurdles and court direction his ascendancy, in view of AAP securing majority, to the top post is uncertain. This is where the Congress could get a psychological edge.
Although he has his fair share of controversies haunting him and his love and hate relation with the party high command, it would be worth naming former MP and son of Delhi’s most successful chief minister late Smt Shiela Dikshit, as the party’s chief minister pick. Given the fact that Mr Maken, as Treasurer of AICC, seems to be reconciled to his role in the party’s national affairs, there is none other in the party to stake claim to be the Chief Ministerial nominee.
Some may say it is too late to make such an announcement. However, the Congress looking to open its account in Delhi assembly has nothing to lose. In fact, couple of quick and out-of-the-box moves including naming a chief ministerial candidate will not only enthuse the party rank and file but also attract the voters’ imagination which is still wavering given the uncertain poll scenario in Delhi.
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