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In Congress, practice of hand-picking CM faces resistance for first time
Congress lawmakers in Rajasthan (and chief minister Ashok Gehlot) have achieved what no other state unit of the party or powerful regional satrap could, defying the writ of the high command on the choice of the state’s next chief minister.
Congress lawmakers in Rajasthan (and chief minister Ashok Gehlot) have achieved what no other state unit of the party or powerful regional satrap could in the recent past, defying the writ of the high command on the choice of the state’s next chief minister.
Captain Amarinder Singh couldn’t do this in Punjab in 2021.
Nor could Maharashtra strongman Vilasrao Deshmukh in 2008.
For the first time in decades, the standard Congress practice of the high command installing a chief minister of its choice has been challenged.
The action of a majority of the Congress lawmakers in the state forced the party to defer a pre-planned meeting of its state legislative party . It comes just around a year ahead of scheduled assembly elections in the state .
Over the years, the Congress had developed a tradition of empowering the party president to select chief ministerial candidates. In state after state, the Congress legislative party would meet and pass a one-line resolution authorising the party chief to elect their leader. That was what was expected to happen on Sunday.
But Gehlot loyalists had other plans.
“They tried to impose the condition that decision on the next chief minister should be taken after October 19. This plan could have led to Ashok Gehlot, a likely candidate for the Congress’s president election, deciding who the next CM should be. It would have been a major conflict of interest,” said Ajay Maken, one of the two observers sent to Rajasthan by the Congress leadership.
A senior Congress leader quipped that the Rajasthan rebellion is “unique” and challenges the party’s style of functioning. “It is unheard of for MLAs to refuse to give the central leadership a free hand in selecting their leaders,” said this person, asking to be named.
Party insiders point out how the Congress successfully manoeuvred its way out of a sticky situation in Maharashtra when Vilasrao Deshmukh had to be replaced in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Congress president Sonia Gandhi sent then United Progressive Alliance ministers Pranab Mukherjee and AK Antony to create a consensus in favour of Ashok Chavan. Despite opposition from some leaders, Mukherjee and Antony got the legislators to sign off on a one-line resolution: Sonia Gandhi would pick the new chief minister. Hours later, Mukherjee announced outside 10, Janpath that Chavan had been selected for the job.
Last September, the Congress removed Amarinder Singh in Punjab through a similar process, but without much resistance. The party conducted a survey and claimed that at least 60 Congress MLAs from the state signed a document signed asking for a new chief minister. His fate sealed, Singh had little option but to quit.
A similar script played out 2,200 km from Jaipur in 2008. The sitting Congress chief minister of Puducherry, N Rangaswamy, was forcibly removed in favour of V Vaithilingam, a nominee of the Congress high command. The following year, when Andhra CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy died in a helicopter crash, the Congress overlooked the claims of his son, Jaganmohan Reddy , and appointed K Rosaiah as the chief minister of the then undivided state.
But Gehlot has proved to be of a different mettle. “When Sachin Pilot rebelled in 2020, Gehlot not only saved the Rajasthan government, but he also consolidated power, rewarded loyalists and took the state unit of the Congress under his control. Now, the Congress’ central leadership faces a strong leader who has control over his MLAs and the state unit of Rajasthan. Gehlot’s position makes the situation tougher for the party,” said a senior Congress strategist who asked not to be named.
The party, however, hasn’t lost hope of resolving the situation amicably and has ostensibly entrusted veteran Kamal Nath with the task. If he fails, the election for the new president may well get derailed again.
