Congress yet to take a decision on UPCC chief

While the All-India Congress Committee is taking interest in nominating District Congress Committee presidents, it is delaying the constitution of a campaign committee for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, besides maintaining suspense about the continuation of its PCC chief.

The other day (June 29), Congress President, Sonia Gandhi approved appointment of six District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents of Maharasthra with immediate effect. They are: Suresh Jethliya (Jalna), Govindrao Wamanrao Shinde Nagelikar (Nanded), Rajendra Mulak (Nagpur Rural), Rahul Bondre (Buldhana), Babanrao Chaudhary (Akola City) and Premsagar Ganvir (Bhandara).

These appointments were made at a time when the senior leaders of the party are insisting on decentralisation of power. Even the Antony Committee was said to have suggested this indicating that centralisation of power was one of the factors behind the party’s debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Election strategist, Prashant Kishor engaged by the party for the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab polls, has been talking of strengthening both the committees — empowering DCCs and PCCs — and thereby suggesting that the AICC should stay away from interfering in the decision making process at state and district level.

Let the DCCs recommend candidates for the Assembly, PCCs should take a final decision on it and the AICC (CEC) should endorse it — this has been the view of the rank and file after every defeat.

Regional satraps like Capt Amrinder Singh (Punjab), Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Haryana) and chief ministers — Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Virbhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh) and Harish Rawat (Uttarakhand) — have been asking for more autonomy in their states. This is because they know the ground reality better than party managers.

If attempts to control them proved counterproductive in Haryana in the recently held Rajya Sabha election which saw the defeat of the party backed Independent candidate, giving freedom to state leaders helped the Congress in Karnataka where it got one more seat by managing additional votes.

Meanwhile, the party high command is delaying to take decisions on appointment of PCC chiefs in Assam and Tamil Nadu which are headless currently and maintaining suspense on whether the current Uttar Pradesh chief would continue or be replaced. Further it has not constituted a campaign committee for UP to tackle the electoral battle against BJP, Samajwadi Party and BSP.