There has emerged a ray of hope ahead of the election for the Congress party chief in a way that no one from the Gandhi family is going to contest the election and it has been on the assurance of that from Rahul Gandhi that Ashok Gehlot has agreed to run for the post of party chief along with Shashi Tharoor. The transition which might be in the offing, if materialised in the right way, might end up changing the trajectory of the Congress party which has been facing nose dive when it comes to national politics and its inefficiency of acting as a strong and vibrant opposition in a country where one gets to see everything but the opposition.
The question, however, arises is that no doubt no one from the Gandhi family is going to contest the election, but the new party chief who is set to be elected, would he be free to decide matters on his own, and set the party on a new track where the aim would be to strengthen the party at the grassroots apart from making it vibrant? For that, the new party chief will have to take difficult decisions aimed at total overhauling the internal party structure, decisions which are not going to be easy to take. Will the new party chief be authorized to take such decisions solely and will there be a chance of interference from the Gandhi family? In such a situation, where there is a need for taking harsh steps for bringing the party back on track—which Gehlot has said he will—is there a possibility for the new party chief to go about it without the nod from the members of the Gandhi family?
Well, there is a possibility for both scenarios: the new party chief cannot claim to act with full authority, ensuring a distance from the influence and the interference of the members of the Gandhi family, as that, it appears, is going to stay there, no matter what. And if by any chance, that element of supremacy and interference faded away, then that is more likely going to be the start of a new era for the Congress party in national politics where they are lagging as of now. These scenarios do not change with the person elected to become the party chief. Be it Gehlot or Tharoor, however, a fine distinction remains between the two and that is the assertiveness of Tharoor, unlike Gehlot.
The reality is that the country needs a vibrant, effectual, and potent opposition that forms the soul of any democracy, and to play that much-needed role, there isn’t any better option than Congress, but the weaknesses of the party from within and without, has had a withering effect on it, causing it to lose its sheen and the grip on the national politics of India. The internal election of Congress has brought to it a chance of a much-needed revival; amelioration. There is a need to get hold of it; and get going with a bang!
