<p>While the Congress Party has launched the process to elect a new president, there is little excitement and activity in the party to show that an all-important event is happening in the organisation. This may be because the party is no longer familiar with the process of election to decide its office-bearers at any level. It may also be because there is already a sense about who is going to be the president. Organisational elections are to be held for all positions in the party, but it is the president’s post that is being keenly watched. The main preoccupation now seems to be to convince a member of the Gandhi family to grace the position. The question why Rahul Gandhi should be the president after he had quit the position and the party is in a worse state than when he did so, does not seem to appeal to most in the party. The Congress has lost election after election in states and lost its governments during this period. It has also seen its leaders and cadres leaving to join other parties, mainly the BJP.</p>.<p>The clamour for Rahul Gandhi continues even though he has made it clear that he will not contest the election and does not want to be party president. He has also ruled out any member of his family as the next president. But the irony is that Rahul Gandhi and his brigade are involved in and make all decisions of the party at the central and state levels, and all leaders vouch by him. The loyalists may be feeling that if he is not willing, and if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also not inclined, Sonia Gandhi may be persuaded to continue till the 2024 elections. That will be a travesty of the very idea of democratic elections.</p>.<p>The Bharat Jodo yatra will soon kick off with Rahul Gandhi at its head. The yatra will last some months by when the new president will be in place. Will Rahul Gandhi continue at the head of the yatra or will the new leader take over, once he or she is in place? The idea of Bharat Jodo, which is meant to reach out to society outside the party and to underline the unity of the country through inclusiveness, is good. It can rejuvenate the party also. But it will be a farcical trip around the country if there is no strong leadership, organisational unity, dynamism and direction to drive the yatra. The message from within the party, which saw the resignation of two senior leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, from their party positions in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, is not one of high hope.</p>
<p>While the Congress Party has launched the process to elect a new president, there is little excitement and activity in the party to show that an all-important event is happening in the organisation. This may be because the party is no longer familiar with the process of election to decide its office-bearers at any level. It may also be because there is already a sense about who is going to be the president. Organisational elections are to be held for all positions in the party, but it is the president’s post that is being keenly watched. The main preoccupation now seems to be to convince a member of the Gandhi family to grace the position. The question why Rahul Gandhi should be the president after he had quit the position and the party is in a worse state than when he did so, does not seem to appeal to most in the party. The Congress has lost election after election in states and lost its governments during this period. It has also seen its leaders and cadres leaving to join other parties, mainly the BJP.</p>.<p>The clamour for Rahul Gandhi continues even though he has made it clear that he will not contest the election and does not want to be party president. He has also ruled out any member of his family as the next president. But the irony is that Rahul Gandhi and his brigade are involved in and make all decisions of the party at the central and state levels, and all leaders vouch by him. The loyalists may be feeling that if he is not willing, and if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also not inclined, Sonia Gandhi may be persuaded to continue till the 2024 elections. That will be a travesty of the very idea of democratic elections.</p>.<p>The Bharat Jodo yatra will soon kick off with Rahul Gandhi at its head. The yatra will last some months by when the new president will be in place. Will Rahul Gandhi continue at the head of the yatra or will the new leader take over, once he or she is in place? The idea of Bharat Jodo, which is meant to reach out to society outside the party and to underline the unity of the country through inclusiveness, is good. It can rejuvenate the party also. But it will be a farcical trip around the country if there is no strong leadership, organisational unity, dynamism and direction to drive the yatra. The message from within the party, which saw the resignation of two senior leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, from their party positions in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, is not one of high hope.</p>
