DNA Edit: Congress woes – Rahul Gandhi’s leadership qualities have come into question

As  the elections draw nearer, the Congress’s party’s health appears to be  progressively declining. It’s sapped of vitality by internal squabbles  and rising defections as potential candidates make a beeline for the BJP camp. Rahul Gandhi’s control over the situation remains tenuous at best. In Maharashtra and Telangana, its condition is precarious. The  viral audio clip of Maharashtra Congress chief and MP Ashok Chavan in  which he was heard talking about his thought of resigning from the party  has created a furore. It had the effect of weakening the morale of  party workers. The damage-control measure undertaken by the party in the  wake of the audio clip going public was akin to covering up a deep  wound with a mere band-aid. 

The Congress was never a regimented,  cadre-based party like the BJP or the CPI-M but for years its workers have mostly been loyal to the dynastic politics that the Gandhi family  symbolised. That charm of allegiance has worn of. The party’s impressive  showing in the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya  Pradesh had rekindled hopes for a revival. But, right now there is  little cause for optimism. The BJP, taking full advantage of Gandhi’s  lack of organisational skills, is looking at inflicting maximum wounds  to the grand old party in the run-up to the polls. The ruling Telangana  Rashtriya Samiti too has benefitted from the chaotic situation as nine  Congress MLAs have defected to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s  party. 

Ahead of the polls, the Congress lacks direction as a result of  which it is not being able to marshal its resources effectively. It  could barely manage to being embarrassed yet again by preventing close  Rahul Gandhi aide, Jitin Prasad’s migration to the BJP. Prasad would  have been a prized catch for the Modi-Shah duo which is looking for  suitable Brahmin candidates in UP to appease that section of society.  Rahul Gandhi has also failed to stitch up proper alliances in two key  states where its organisation strength has significantly weakened. In  Bengal, the TMC and the BJP will likely benefit since the Congress and  the Left Front failed to come together. In UP, it might end up splitting  the Opposition’s votes since it has decided to contest alone after being rebuffed by the SP-BSP alliance. 

Its amply clear that Rahul had  failed to cash in on the polarising tide that the BJP had unleashed in  several states where regional parties are fighting hard for their  survival. The fact of the matter is several leaders in the Opposition do not consider Rahul as a natural leader. Though his ratings have  improved since 2014, its not enough for a mercurial Mayawati or a  temperamental Mamata to defer to Rahul’s electoral strategies. With just  44 seats in Parliament, the Congress is not the leader of the Opposition. Gandhi needs to increasingly engage with his party workers  at the grass roots before choosing candidates. After all, they will be  doing all the hard work in the hope that their efforts will be rewarded  with victories.