Cong bid to woo sulking leaders
After the exit of former Union minister S.M. Krishna, the Congress has started the process of reaching out to all leaders in the poll bound states. Former Union ministers C.K. Jaffer Sharief and M.V. Rajasekharan have also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, moving away from the Congress party line. Since all the three leaders are from the poll-bound state of Karnataka, there is a sense on unease in the Congress.
A senior Congress leader on the condition of anonymity said that in the present state, any desertion from the Congress looks bad and affects the morale of the cadres. He further added “Also, when senior leaders, who are veterans, write letters either praising the Prime Minister or moving away from the party line, shows that leaders can get away with indiscipline.”
In the upcoming assembly elections of Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, the Congress is reaching out to leaders which are “unhappy” to prevent such desertions or outburts. In the recently concluded Assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh, several leaders of the Congress left just before the elections which embarrassed the grand old party.
Presently, the Congress is looking very keenly at the upcoming Assembly elections in three states, out of which they are in power in two. Sources say that unlike the previous time, the grand old party will prepare committees for selection of candidates well in advance so that any rebellion in any constituency can be quelled in time.
The Congress desperately needs to win these elections; if they falter, it can even pose a threat to their existence as a national party. After the drubbing in Assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, there has been a demand for changes in the Congress organisation.