congress-civil-war-begins-in-punjab-haryana

While the Congress is basking in its revival, which some of its leaders even claim to be a “resounding victory” at the national level, it will need to handle two stormy states of Punjab and Haryana very carefully. 

 

In both states, Congress has been on its way towards a strong comeback. However, if the situation is not taken care of and the drift is not arrested right away, it may see totally adverse results.

 

In Punjab Congress won 7 of the 13 parliamentary constituencies. It was ahead of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, which was way behind with just three seats. Although the Congress won one seat less than what it won in 2019, the situation and circumstances this time were quite different and difficult for the party.

 

It had to face a robust BJP and an aggressively hostile AAP, which had claimed that it would win all 13 seats. It was riding high on the 300 units per month of free power to people. 

How the Saffron party performed

 

The BJP was also on ascendancy because of the Ram temple, which was manifested in the final results. Although the BJP did not win any of the 13 seats, which was for the first time in the last seven General Elections, it did get a record 18.6 per cent vote share, just about 8 per cent less than the AAP and the Congress, both of which got 26 per cent. BJP was much ahead of its erstwhile alliance partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal, which got 13 per cent vote share only. And the entire vote share of the BJP came from the Congress. 

 

Despite that Congress managed a reasonable performance. 

 

Voices against Congress, within Congress

However, a section of the state leadership has started raising their voices against the Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and the Congress Legislative Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa. 

 

These leaders, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh and Rana Gurjeet have been saying that the Congress could have done better than this. Their target is obviously to get the PCC president replaced before the assembly elections, which are scheduled two and a half years from now. 

 

The AICC in-charge for Punjab, Devender Yadav and the Chairman of the Punjab Congress Campaign Committee Rana KP Singh, today in separate statements asked the party leaders not to air their views in public. While the “rebellious” leaders are trying to play down the party’s relatively good show, both Yadav and Rana KP maintained that the party had scored a great and phenomenal victory in Punjab. Rana KP said that the leaders must not “try to dig defeat” in the victory as it can have a demoralizing effect on the workers. 

State of things in Haryana

In neighbouring Haryana, it is murkier for the Congress. There are two “vertically distant”, if not “divided” factions, one led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and another one comprising senior leaders including Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chaudhary Birender and others. 

 

Right now, the Congress in Haryana is under complete control of Hooda. The PCC president in the state, Udai Bhan is his close confidante. Hooda had his ultimate say in the allotment of parliamentary tickets also. Although the party won five of the ten seats in the recently concluded General Elections, some party leaders believe that it could have done better if ticket distribution was proper.

 

Consequences

The consequences came quite fast as one of the senior party leaders Kiran Chaudhary, daughter-in-law of veteran Congressman and former Chief Minister Bansi Lal resigned from the party along with her daughter Shruti Chaudhary, a former MP from Bhiwani. She was denied a ticket this time at the behest of Hooda. The mother-daughter duo joined the BJP.

 

Kumari Selja, went on record to say that Kiran Chaudhary had been subjected to “injustice” in the state. She also said, that if she or her daughter had been given the Bhiwani parliamentary ticket, the Congress would have won it. 

 

The target was Hooda who had been given full control over the distribution of tickets in the state.

 

Hooda has been the Chief Minister of Haryana twice. He is in his mid-seventies and once again a strong claimant for the Chief Ministership. The BJP has been in power in Haryana for the last ten years. There was a year of anti-incumbency against the BJP with Congress having reasonable chances of a comeback, although the party (BJP) remained ahead of the Congress in terms of vote share and the number of assembly segments it led from.

 

However, in the parliament elections, while the two parties shared 5 of the 10 seats each, the BJP led from 44 of the 90 assembly segments, while the Congress-led from 42 and the AAP, which was in alliance with the Congress, led from 4 segments. 

 

The BJP's vote share was also higher than the Congress with the party (the BJP) getting 46.11 per cent votes against 43.67 of the Congress.

 

While the BJP fought on its own, the Congress had an alliance with the AAP. 

 

The Congress high command will have to handle both states carefully and will also need to impose strict discipline. Right now, it is “free for all” within the Congress in both the states where the party appears to be in a state of civil war. 

 

While in Punjab the elections are two and a half years away, in Haryana, these are scheduled for October this year. It will need to set the house in order in Haryana with urgent priority. 

 

In Punjab, it will need to be very careful about its leaders representing urban areas like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Amritsar, where the BJP has established firm footprints. Much will depend on how the party handles itself in the state. Any laxity may lead to some leaders succumbing to the saffron temptations, which will continue to be there, particularly given the BJP forming the government once again at the centre, albeit with the support of allies.