The Congress Party elections slated for 17 October could well become a tri-corner contest. According to sources, Manish Tewari, Lok Sabha MP and one of the party’s most articulate voices in parliament, could also throw his hat into the ring. While Manish is yet to make up his mind, he is said to be seriously mulling his candidature.
A former youth congress president as well as an
ex-NSUI Chief, he is an organisational man who has worked his way up the party rung and is not a lateral entry like Shashi Tharoor.
Although the Gandhis have maintained that they will not interfere in the poll process and remain ‘neutral’ it is amply clear that Ashok Gehlot has both their blessings as well as their ‘nod’. A Gehlot win will not surprise any Congress watcher but having said that, the process itself is not to be discounted. For one, it is an opportunity to spark some pretty animated debates on the nature & ideology of the Congress party and the road ahead. If the party is to change, then these are important issues that need to be debated.
Both Manish and Shashi Tharoor are signatories to the G23 letter and have been advocating greater transparency and a more democratic set up within the party. Also, while Tharoor’s appeal is limited to an English speaking and mostly urban audience, Manish is fluent in both Hindi and English and also represents Punjab, a state in North India. While Gehlot too fits both the linguistic and geographical criteria, he remains an establishment man and will not shake the boat with any revolutionary suggestions that challenge the Gandhis’ hold on the party.
Already the battle lines are being drawn between Gehlot and any other contestant, with Congress spokesman Gourav Vallabh hitting out at Tharoor on twitter. One can expect the same towards any other candidate who takes on the choice of the establishment, because this is one way for Congress leaders to showcase their loyalty to the High Command. This kind of surround noise will only drown out any positive debate that may take place during the canvassing, and it can be argued that this is one election where the process is more important than the result itself.
The window for filing nominations is from September 24 to 30 and each candidate needs 10 PCC delegates to propose his or her candidature. Manish is currently in Punjab, meeting his supporters and chalking out his plan of action. A decision is expected soon.