With mere months until the Lok Sabha elections, political parties are bracing for the contest. The Congress recently unveiled their first slate of 39 candidates for the polls. Yet, it seems personal ambitions may be taking precedence over organizational interests in this initial list.
Consider the names in Congress' first list. Despite winning the Chhattisgarh state assembly, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is contesting from the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, seemingly aiming for a more significant role. He doesn't currently hold any position within the All India Congress Committee (AICC), nor is he a leader of the Congress legislative party or a member of the Congress Working Committee. Baghel is plotting to establish himself as a reputable backward classes leader by securing a victory in Rajnandgaon.
Baghel is striving to move away from the image of defeat encountered in the state assembly polls, while his counterpart from Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, is known for his coalition-building acumen. Gehlot isn't contesting the Lok Sabha elections, but his son Vaibhav is a candidate from Jalore. Surprisingly, Gehlot isn’t shouldering the responsibility of securing even half a dozen parliamentary seats for Congress, reflecting a stark contrast from the past where Congress didn't even open its account in 25 Lok Sabha seats during the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The candidature of KC Venugopal, the AICC General Secretary for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat, has left many within Congress stunned. Known as KCV within the party family, he currently serves as a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan until 2028. Should KCV win from Alappuzha, his Rajya Sabha position would transfer to the BJP.
If Congress wins over 55 parliamentary seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, KCV may secure his position as the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. In other words, KCV seems to believe that his mentor Rahul Gandhi will not remain in the role of the opposition leader, even after possibly winning the Wayanad seat, and might instead endorse figures like Shashi Tharoor, Bhupesh Baghel, or Manish Tewari over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Such alleged commotion over the position of Leader of the Opposition spells misfortune for Congress. It reveals the depth of self-interest that party leaders have plumbed. The mindset of accepting defeat and expecting rewards after electoral losses is troubling. The term 'non-application of mind,' often used by the late Devendranath Dwivedi, AICC General Secretary and thinker, is relevant for the current President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who seem inactive and despondent rather than behaving like leaders.
There's also the big question: will Priyanka Gandhi Vadra step into the electoral fray from Raebareli or Varanasi? Many leaders in the party hope she will contest and win, not just make a losing debut. If Priyanka chooses not to contest, party workers might see this as another sign of leadership defeatism heading into the 2024 elections.
