Congress to replicate Karnataka model in other poll-bound states
NEWDELHI:: The Congress has carried out an elaborate revamp exercise in its faction-ridden Karnataka unit to pacify all warring leaders and the same formula is expected to be used in other states as well in a bid to stem the party’s electoral slide that started with the debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is keen to make the party fighting fit for all upcoming elections, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and for that, unity in states is paramount. The changes in Karnataka suggest that all factions will be taken on board to bring about that harmony in states.
Gandhi realises that a revival at the national level is possible only when the Congress resurrects itself in states and for that it is important to strengthen the regional satraps.
Despite coming from the Janata Parivar background, chief minister K Siddaramaiah remains as of now the powerful Congress leader in Karnataka and any attempt to undermine his authority could have hurt the party’s chances of retaining power in the upcoming assembly elections.
Like Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab and Virbhadra Singh in Himachal Pradesh, Sid- daramaiah is consider-Congress names Sam Pitroda as head of overseas department, creates fishermen celled a mass leader in Karnataka, a reason why the Congress leadership decided to go to elections under him once again and projected him as the party’s chief ministerial candidate. Karnataka is the only big state after Punjab where the Congress is in power and fancies its chances given that the BJP is a divided house with a section led by backward caste leader KS Easwarappa up in arms against its chief BS Yeddyurappa who belongs to the powerful Lingayat community. A win in Karnataka will boost the sagging morale of Congress workers across the country given that the party appears doubtful about its fortunes in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which go to polls in December this year.
But Gandhi wants to correct the perception that the grand old party has lost the drive and energy to fight the elections and having broad-based consultations with state leaders before revamping is part of his strategy. The same formula is expected to be replicated in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other states. The other message from the Karnataka reshuffle is that the Congress leadership will henceforth strictly follow the one-man one-post formula.