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With the Congress' debacle in the recently concluded Assembly elections – and now the 'rebel' G-23 leaders challenging the party's top brass – the Congress is in a tight spot.
But two states of the Congress have kept the party's baton high — Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. But for how long? As the party faces major challenges after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) clean sweep in the recent polls, we take a closer look at the Congress in the two states.
Although the Congress enjoys a majority in both states, various factors such as tussle among the party stalwarts, and the current government's performance, put Rajasthan in the hotter seat than Chhattisgarh.
Ranging from the challenge of conveying the Budget and its features to the common man to ensuring its implementation on ground, the Ashok Gehlot government has big tasks ahead.
"However, having said that, it's less likely to happen right away. The party would want to present a united front and hold its fort wherever possible. Also, Gehlot is an experienced legislator and enjoys popularity among both the masses and their representatives. What troubles Gehlot more is not just the BJP, but also a mix of internal rifts, his own performance, and his delivery on his promises," he added.
Explaining further, he said, "First, because the anti-incumbency mood in Rajasthan has always been high since the last two decades. Second, because going to elections, the Congress' morale is down. The Delhi leadership has rendered devastating results. And when the central leadership weakens, state leadership gets empowered, and this happening in Rajasthan will not be good news for the Congress."
Rajasthan's lower-rung Congress leaders are also dissatisfied with the current environment of the state. With time slipping away for Gehlot, his attempts to satisfy them haven't been commendable. The amount of effort he put into accommodating Pilot group's members portrayed his lack of seriousness, experts said.
While Rajasthan looks at a tough future, Chhattisgarh has some problems similar to Rajasthan and some completely of its own making.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been lifted up to Delhi politics with the party pushing him as a national OBC leader, however he couldn't sway the voters of Uttar Pradesh.
As Baghel struggles to make his mark beyond Chhattisgarh, internal party strife has haunted his tenure in the state, too. The talks of a 'dhai-dhai saal formula' (chief minister contract lasting two and a half years each) between him and state Cabinet minister TS Singh Deo has caused an uproar in the state.
Apart from this, Baghel suffers from public discontent across the state.
Protests have erupted in:
Northern Chhattisgarh against the coal mining projects and Baghel's actions
State capital Raipur where a farmer's protest, which started in January still continues
Down south in Bastar, which is brimming with protests at multiple places against the decade-old issue of atrocities against the tribals
It is evident that Baghel has more or less failed to address the issues on which he rode to the state administration.
Add to this the failure of Delhi leadership over the years and the Congress' poor performance in UP, have started the talks of saving whatever is left of the party.
While the Congress continues the journey through one of the toughest times since independence, the only remaining hopes, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, will have to deliver to save the party from extinction.
For most part of the previous year, Baghel has been reaching out to the workers, but the lowest rung has a lot of complaints.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
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