India's main opposition Congress party to hold 'crucial' poll for party chief

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - India's main opposition party Indian National Congress is all set to hold polls after two decades to elect its chief, with the political experts terming the next month's elections as "historic."

Founded in 1885, the first modern nationalist and secular movement in South Asia, the Congress party is the country's oldest party.

The election process began last week after the notification was issued and the polling is scheduled to be held next month.

The powerful Gandhi family has produced four prime ministers and largely ruled the country since its independence in 1947. The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has been targeting the Congress party for its dynastic politics.

The Congress party's last election was in 2000 when Sonia Gandhi was elected the party chief. After Sonia Gandhi resigned in 2017 from the top post following her tenure coming to an end, her son Rahul Gandhi became the head of the party but resigned in July 2019, owing the responsibility for the second defeat in the 2019 polls.

Senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker from southern India and former top UN official, and Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Congress, ruled the Rajasthan state and close to the Gandhi family are likely to file the nomination this week.

Talking to Anadolu Agency, prominent Indian journalist and author Rasheed Kidwai said the election has the potential to be "historical" because none of the members of the powerful Gandhi family are in the fray at this time.

"This time, they (Gandhis) are just doing the supervising role. Rahul Gandhi has figured out that the dynastic politics has hurt the party, as the ruling party BJP continues to target them over the issue," he said.

According to the Congress party officials, around 9,000 delegates will participate in the election of the party leader.

Members of the Congress party have signaled that none from the Gandhi family would contest the polls.

Niranjan Sahoo, a New Delhi-based political commentator, told Anadolu Agency that this is not the first time a "non-Gandhi" will become the party chief.

"Election for the party is long delayed. Since the electoral debacle of the oldest party in 2019 and Rahul Gandhi's resignation, the party is headless. Since then, Sonia Gandhi is interim president," he said, adding that a party chief might stem the downward shift ahead of general elections in 2024.

- Fall of Congress party

According to Sahoo, a number of reasons are responsible for the fall of the Congress party over the last few years.

"A combination of lack of leadership, family-centric politics -- Gandhi family and its coterie controlling most levers of decision making that led to the formation of a group of 23 or G23 leaders demanding transparency in party activities/reforms -- disconnection with ground reality, lack of infusion of young leaders, acute shortage of funds/political funds" are among the reasons, he said, adding that the electoral setback in several states has demoralized "the cadres and is creating mass desertion from the party."

He also blamed Rahul Gandhi for not providing leadership and not allowing anyone to grow on their own.

"What has furthered the party's decline is aggressive and often deceitful politics of BJP which has been using every instrument of state (such as Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and income tax) to break the legitimate government run by Congress, also poach senior leaders, and choke its funding sources among others," said Sahoo, referring to the investigation launched by several investigative agencies against many opposition leaders.

The ruling party, has, however, denied that it is using any agency against anyone.

- Gandhi's countrywide foot march

According to experts, the party's leadership elections may even help the party revive its base.

Also, a foot march by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is traveling from the south to the north on foot, has raised hopes for the party's revival.

Ajay Gudavarthy, a professor at the Center for Political Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said Gandhi has been attempting "to give an ideological turn and rediscover a social democratic vision."

Over the last few years, the ruling party's success has been credited largely to politics of religious polarization and strident nationalism.

"This however needs to connect with people on the ground. The recent yatra (foot march) has created some positive energy and hopefully, it will also create a more inspired organizational culture," said Gudavarthy. "If all of this comes together in time, Congress is still a force to reckon with."

Some experts also say the Gandhi family holding the top post is not much important to them as they continue to control the political leadership.

"Because political leadership is with the Gandhis. Jawaharlal Nehru (the first prime minister) was the Congress party chief for six years, but he was the party's towering leader for five decades, and current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never been his party chief for a day," said Kidwai.