By D N Singh

After the resounding victory in Karnataka the Congress party has induced some hope among the opposition and boosted the confidence for the ensuing polls in 2024 and the remaining polls for the state Assemblies.

The victory can be used as a run up to the crucial Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where a tug of war has brewed venom since last one year.

 

Those elections are being seriously watched and it would not be off the mark to say that its record of a face-off with the BJP in bipolar contests has not been very impressive.

Rest depends how keenly the Congress would take the forth coming polls said above instead let that fritter away by internal bickering.

 

Besides the Congress, Nitish-led efforts to stitch together the other opposition parties should get a positive response from the Congress so that can add momentum and rejuvenate the cadres for a strategized campaign as was in Karnataka.

There is an urgent need for replication of the campaign model adopted in Karnataka although each state election has a different taste.

 

Local issues remained the predominant features in Karnataka and they always now may dominate people’s psyche as it is evident that men on the streets are no more keen about the divides over faith or temples or even an overdose of nationalism. Where the Karnataka Congress tactfully did not allow the campaigns to appear a Cong vs Modi.

If Bharat Jodo Jatra proved to be a basis then Rahul Gandhi is required to concentrate in the three poll-bound states to generate adequate support.

But the most crucial factor will be the reconciliation of factional rivalries with the larger narrative that the party wants to build. In Karnataka, the party was able to project an image of being united, thanks to the temporary truce brokered between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar.

Rajasthan deeply fractured

 

Given the factionalism in Rajasthan has assumed a notoriety of alternating the parties in power, Congress’ task there is anyway uphill. But the continuing feud between Gehlot and Pilot has ensured that the state unit of the party is deeply fractured. This is unlikely to be addressed easily or quickly.

Other important thing is who leads the campaign in MP. Post Scindia’s departure from the Congress, what appears likely that, it can be Kamal Nath. However, whether Kamal Nath can reconcile the aspirations of the OBC sections of Madhya Pradesh will be a critical factor.

In Chhattisgarh, Baghel has been beleaguered by the demands of his rival, TS Singh Deo. In other words, the euphoria over Karnataka apart, the task is cut out for the Congress president: to decide on the protocols to settle internal factional disputes and broker peace among competing leaders.

It is here that the role of Rahul Gandhi will be equally crucial. While the existence of strong leaders is always an asset, their aspirations to power often become a stumbling block in converting that asset into an actual pathway to electoral victory.

Rahul still appear unacceptable

The Congress has historically suffered from this problem almost everywhere and with the weakening of national leadership, it has failed to reconcile its state-level factions. Ambitious leaders like Amarinder Singh in Punjab, Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra, and Jyotiraditya Scindia in MP leaving the party and forming state-level parties or allying with the BJP represents a recurrent phenomenon. Rahul Gandhi, even after his new-found charm emanating from the Bharat Jodo Yatra has not yet acquired the respect of factional leaders and the skill to broker peace among them.

For which Rahul Gandhi is still not a face nor he carries that charisma compared to other leaders at the state level.

One of the pitiable dilemmas of modern democracy is that while politics brings people to the centre-stage, politics also push them aside in favour of the technologies of the campaign.

But this requires a strong initial vision held by the party, a brief clearly given to the ‘experts’, and a conviction about what is the bottom line for the party.

So that way the Congress has miles to go before forging an alliance or play pivotal role in an united opposition if at all. Will Rahul led Congress do that or choose to be a  Big Brother still, is a big question.