Shivakumar has reportedly been unhappy that Siddaramaiah had not abided by a so-called 2.5-year formula, intended apparently to allow him an elevation for a half-term occupancy of the CM chair.
This is not the first instance of the Congress party having regional satraps following their own whims, ignoring directives from the central leadership. Neither is it the first time that the High Command looked helpless and uncertain against such leaders.
Even messages from Shivakumar to party leader Rahul Gandhi have been met with silence, except for a reported terse “wait” response in the last instance.
The situation is akin to the Ashok Gehlot-Rajesh Pilot rivalry in Rajasthan, which remains among the most persistent intra‑state conflicts in the party, finally resulting in its exit from government in the last state election.
The power tussle in Jaipur periodically flared around cabinet reshuffles and organisational control despite occasional public reconciliations. Things had come to such a head that there were whispers, which were later reported in the media, of Pilot’s imminent exit from the party.
However, perhaps the Congress’ loss at the hustings took care of that, if not the party’s high command.
In Madhya Pradesh, which earlier witnessed several reported flare-ups and rapprochements among leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath.
There were intense speculations even as late as last year over Nath’s imminent move to the BJP.
Now, in August, an organisational overhaul by the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, replacing many district presidents, led to protests and resignations, exposing fault lines between state veterans and new appointees tied to past leaderships.
The appointments, made nearly two and a half months after Rahul Gandhi’s launch of Congress’ Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan from Bhopal, were aimed at reviving the party after its dismal performance in the 2023 Vidhan Sabha, followed by the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile in Punjab, the Congress seems politically losing the ground it gained in last year’s Lok Sabha election, winning seven of the 13 seats in the state. Followers of Navjot Sidhu and state unit president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring are locked in a battle for political turf.
Recently, the party’s former MLA, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, claimed that the Chief Minister’s chair was available for Rs. 500 crores. She has since been suspended by Congress leadership from primary membership.
Factionalism involving the Warring and Sidhu camps has produced public rows, complicating the party’s prospects ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
In Maharashtra, after electoral setbacks, the Congress installed a new state president, but the change has opened fresh internal debates about strategy and alliances in the state.
In neighbouring Gujarat, leadership succession has been turbulent since Shaktisinh Gohil stepped down as the state unit chief. Though Amit Chavda has since taken over, the process saw jockeying for influence amid confusing public messaging and active lobbying with the high command.
While in Uttar Pradesh, the party is grappling with organisational weakness and disagreements over whether to contest local polls independently or in alliance, prompting reshuffles and strategic recalibration.
Similar contradiction is visible in West Bengal where local leaders are mostly against the central leadership’s occasional outreach at Trinamool Congress, rather allying with the Left which is its direct opponent in Kerala.
In the latter, the latest local body poll outcomes and the rise of new leaders have intensified a leadership search, with national figures and caste‑based dynamics shaping the contest.
It is to be seen how the dynamics build up on the way to next year’s Assembly elections in both West Bengal and Kerala.
About The Author
Comment List