Congress Elections Leave Party State Units Divided

The Congress organisational elections have left potentially crippling internal divisions in a number of states, particularly Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka. The first two are the only large states that the party rules.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, backed by former Union minister V C Shukla, is pitted against backers of Arjun Singh and Madhavrao Scindia who between them dominate the states delegates.

Both are loyal to Kesri and back Ajit Jogi for PCC presidentship. Jogi is likely to try and bring down Singhs government, hoping to take his place.

The partys Orissa unit could be in for as much instability. Deputy chief minister Mahendra Biswal is openly in the fray against Chief Minister JB Patnaik. Pawars managers claim that Biswal is backing Pawar.

 

In Karnataka, where the party had hoped to improve its performance after the reinduction of former Chief Minister S Bangarappa, another former Chief Minister Veerappa Moily is pitted against Bangarappa. Moily apparently backs Pawar, while Bangarappa is loyal to Kesri.

Both are backward caste leaders who need to work together to mobilise adequate support for the party to fare well in elections.

Rifts have emerged in other major states too. In Andhra, the new PCC is packed with supporters of Congress Working Committee member K Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy

The elections have brought such senior leaders as G Venkatswamy, N Janardhana Reddy and Y S Rajashekhara Reddy openly against him and Kesri.

At the national level, the contest between Kesri, Pawar and Pilot is sure to lead to more dissension and rift. Kesri may try to marginalise Pilot by keeping him out of the new Congress Working Committee.

The new AICC is expected to elect 10 members to the new CWC but Kesri may be authorised by the AICC, which his loyalists dominate, to nominate the entire body.

While Kesri might find it relatively easy to leave Pilot out, he will find it difficult to leave Pawar out.

Pawars managers say he is prepared to lose his post as Lok Sabha floor leader too and indicate that he will continue to fight Kesri and position himself as the obvious successor.