Congress appoints Bhupesh Baghel as senior observer for UP assembly polls

Earlier this year, Baghel was appointed as observer for the Assam assembly elections, in which Congress got 50 seats out of a total 126 seats. In the 2016 assembly polls, Congress won 26 seats in Assam.

Even as 25 MLAs from Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s camp are in Delhi amid the speculation of a possible change of guard in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, the party on Saturday, appointed Baghel as a senior observer of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been appointed as a senior observer of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. (ANI PHOTO.)

“Honourable National President Sonia Gandhi ji (Sonia Gandhi) has instructed me to be the party observer for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections… It is a big responsibility and I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the top leadership,” Baghel tweeted after his appointment.

Earlier this year, Baghel was appointed as observer for the Assam assembly elections, in which Congress got 50 seats out of a total 126 seats. In the 2016 assembly polls, Congress won 26 seats in Assam.

The movement of MLAs to Delhi comes two months after the Congress high command reserved its decision, on August 28, over the alleged two-and-a-half-year power-sharing agreement between Baghel and health minister TS Singh Deo.

Baghel’s appointment is seen as an important development but both the camps are still to figure out the exact interpretation.

Close functionaries of Baghel believe that it is an important development which reflects that the party and senior leadership want Baghel to play an important role in UP elections as a CM while people from Singh Deo’s camp are hoping for a change after the appointment.

“Baghel ji’s (Bhupesh Baghel) appointment is a positive indication amid the current political scenario of the state. We believe that the high command wants an Other Backward Caste (OBC) chief minister to woo the OBC voters in UP, who are in sizeable number… Secondly, the move also puts a halt on any type of speculation about change of guard,” said Baghel’s close functionary.

Notably, for the last few months, a group of leaders close to the CM and his two advisors were working with the team of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh. The CM’s other team was engaged in providing booth-level and district-level training to the local leaders of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

“After today’s appointment, Baghel will be visiting Uttar Pradesh in the second week of October and will be addressing a gathering with Priyanka Gandhi,” another Congress leader close to the CM said.

Meanwhile, after the appointment of Baghel, the political corridor in Chhattisgarh has been rife with speculation and many are not able to understand the indication of the high command.

People close to Singh Deo claimed that the appointment should not be seen as a relief for Baghel and could be the party’s strategy.

“It is still not clear from today’s appointment whether it is some kind of ‘package deal’ or a promotion of Baghel ji. We are waiting for the high command’s decision for change of guard,” said a close aid of Singh Deo.

On the other hand, more than 25 MLAs close to CM Baghel are camping in Delhi reportedly to express solidarity with Baghel.

On August 28, after a long meeting with the high command, Baghel seemed to have bought some time. He said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit the state next week, especially Bastar, to see for himself the work that was being done. The next day, when Singh Deo returned, he said he too had spoken to the leadership and they had “reserved their decision” on the matter.

Nearly a month later, on Wednesday, 10 MLAs led by Baghel’s loyalist and MLA Brihaspat Singh reached Delhi and told the media that the MLAs are in Delhi to meet the party’s state in-charge PL Punia with a message for Rahul Gandhi.

Singh Deo too played down the Delhi visit of MLAs and said it should not be made an issue. About the possible leadership change, Singh Deo had reiterated that the decision is reserved for the party high command.

On Saturday, Baghel made another statement and said that Chhattisgarh can never become Punjab.

“Chhattisgarh will always remain Chhattisgarh. It cannot become Punjab. The two states have only one similarity that both have numbers in their names,” he told reporters here at the helipad when asked that the BJP has equated Chhattisgarh and Punjab over turmoil in the ruling Congress.

Punjab is derived from Pun (five) aab (water) which means the land of five rivers. Similarly Chhattisgarh has derived its name from ‘chattis’ (thirty six) ‘garh’ (fort).

Political commentators of the state believe Baghel’s appointment for UP elections is not giving any clear indication regarding execution of power-sharing formula.

“The fact that Baghel proved himself to be a successful election manager in the recent past makes Bhupesh Baghel an asset for the Congress party in any election going state. However, the performance in Chhattisgarh was largely the result of team work. Baghel’s appointment for the UP elections has come at a time when the doubts over his continuance as the CM are yet to be cleared. Baghel’s supporters are bound to be elated by the public display of confidence of the Gandhi siblings in his organisational capabilities. Baghel’s detractors, however, would understandably like to look for rays of hope in this development and consider it a prelude to a formal distancing from the state,” said Parivesh Mishra, a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.