Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is set to address party changes and probe the reasons for the electoral setback in Rajasthan on Saturday. He has called for a meeting in Delhi, summoning key leaders, including Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Pradesh President Govind Singh Dotasra is expected to tender his resignation during the meeting. Subsequently, the party president might assign him interim responsibilities until a decision on the new president is reached.
According to sources, the party has decided to give opportunities to new faces in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. If Rahul Gandhi gives the green signal to party president Kharge before his foreign trip, the announcement of new presidents for all three states could be made soon. The party’s effort is to promote leaders without any group affiliations to end factionalism in the states. Therefore, Jitendra Singh, who is responsible for Rajasthan, is more likely to be given the responsibility. However, Harish Choudhary and Sachin Pilot are also in the running. The decision is up to the high command.
After this, the race for the position of the leader of the legislative party includes Dotasra, Murari Lal Meena, and Mahendra Jeet Singh Malviya.
During the Saturday meeting, organizers will present their reports, apprising the high command of the legislators’ perspectives. The high command is cautious about escalating tensions in states, after the electoral setback. Internal discord among Congress members is being cited as a contributing factor to the defeat in all three states.
This started during the formation of the government in 2018 when Rahul Gandhi gave the green signal. In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot vs. Sachin Pilot, in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath vs. Jyotiraditya Scindia, and in Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel vs. TS Singhdev. On top of that, the rumour of the Chief Minister being Chief Minister for two and a half years added fuel to the fire. Due to this, the government in Madhya Pradesh collapsed in two and a half years. Rajasthan survived the fall. In Chhattisgarh, Baghel took refuge in Priyanka Gandhi and ran the government for five years, but disputes and pressure from Delhi led to the loss in the elections.
Congress may now want to burn even the remaining straw of Chhattisgarh’s success. Therefore, there is a higher probability of new faces getting a chance in all three states, including Rajasthan. Kamal Nath, the president of Madhya Pradesh, has resigned today and handed over his resignation to Rahul Gandhi. He has been asked to continue as the president until the announcement of the new president. Whether Deepak Baij, the former president before the election in Chhattisgarh, will continue or go, will be known at the time of the announcement. Churandas Mahant, the leader of the legislative party, is leading the race.