By reappointing former Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, as the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, Rahul Gandhi has sent confusing signals to the rank and file, which would have been more comfortable had the generational shift in the organisation been consolidated. The overall expectation was that the 55-year old Ajay Maken, who gave up his post last week, would be replaced by someone younger or around the same age. However, passing on the baton of the ailing party to an 80-year-old leader is nothing but a huge political error of judgement.
It is true that ever since the high command announced her appointment, there have been endless visitors at Dikshit’s house—a Congress custom, whenever a declaration of this nature is made. This though does not necessarily mean that the party has been resuscitated in the city, where it has zero seats both in the Parliament and Assembly. The last time Dikshit led from the front was in 2013, when the Congress secured eight Assembly seats, while she herself earned the dubious distinction of losing to Arvind Kejriwal from her New Delhi constituency by a staggering 26,500 votes, thus in the process forfeiting her deposit.
The Congress rout in the capital was the precursor of things to come, with senior leaders including her, facing a number of corruption allegations which had enabled the AAP to spring several surprises during the elections. It is evident that either the Congress has not learnt any lessons from its past performance or is so deeply indebted to Dikshit that the leadership can find no other candidate. Soon after the 2013 outcome, she was made the Governor of Kerala replacing former Delhi Police Commissioner, Nikhil Kumar who was given a party ticket to contest from Aurangabad in Bihar.
When the UP elections were announced in 2017, Dikshit was projected as the Chief Ministerial face, yet got sidelined after the Congress forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav; this tie-up, however, did not sit well with its workers in the state. This political blunder further decimated the grand old party, leaving Rahul Gandhi with much to worry about. Now that the party has won in three Hindi heartland states, the sycophants are back at work and the leadership once again is prone to replicating the same mistakes that had led to its most dismal performance in the 2014 Parliamentary polls. The leadership is somehow being made to believe that it was on account of them that the Congress was on a resurgent mode, without acknowledging that the Assembly results signified an anti-BJP mood rather than a pro-Congress wave.
Thursday’s announcement by P.C. Chacko, the general secretary in-charge of Delhi, indicates that Dikshit also does not seem to be keen on forming an executive body for her assistance and thus has opted for three working presidents—Devendra Yadav, Rajesh Lilothia and Haroon Yusuf. Had the executive body been formed, there would have been little need for working presidents. The problem being that while finalising the names of the functional heads, the high command clearly seems to have overlooked Punjabis, Vaishs, Jats, Gurjars and hard-core Poorvanchalis, who constitute a sizable segment of the total electorate. In other words, those nominated do not have the capacity for either mass mobilisation nor do they have adequate support amongst members of their own castes.
Dikshit was never a mass leader of any kind, but enjoys a good image amongst a section of middle class, which, by and large, is backing the BJP. Therefore, if the Congress high command’s intention was to wean the middle class away from the saffron brigade, it is unlikely to happen. On the contrary, by keeping out a majority of community leaders, it is quite improbable that the Congress may make any inroads in the city. In the past, it were functionaries like Sajjan Kumar, who roped in the crowds for the Congress rallies.
In fact, the Congress has ensured that Aam Aadmi Party, which had usurped its vote bank, is strengthened further and continues to occupy the advantageous position of being the principal challenger to the BJP. Dikhsit, in her press interaction, did not appear averse to a political tie-up with the AAP, but the question that arises is whether the AAP would be prepared to carry the burden of an outfit, which in the long run, aims to knock it off the pedestal.
Dikshit’s detractors believe that the sole reason she is desirous of extending an olive branch towards Arvind Kejriwal is that she would want her son, Sandeep Dikshit, to be one of the Congress Lok Sabha nominees in an alliance. This may not be possible, since the AAP has virtually decided to field Atishi Marlena from East Delhi, the constituency represented by Sandeep in 2004 and 2009. The other seat could be a toss-up between Ajay Maken or Kapil Sibal, depending on what Kejriwal’s final decision is.
However, in case the Congress attempts to go solo, it would secure zero seats in the city. In political terms, if the Congress fails to obtain even a single seat in Delhi, which is virtually a mini-India, its national tally would not be very impressive either. Going by the recent history of the two national parties, no party that does not win in Delhi can aspire to come to power at the Centre. Dikshit might be a favourite of the Gandhis, but the Congress is in the need of political muscle. Between us.