After a series of desertions in its Gujarat unit, the Congress high command has appointed seven leaders as working presidents in the State unit, barely a few months before the Assembly polls.
However, the State unit lacks a leader who can command the influence and respect and steer the party during the crucial polls.
The local leaders and cadres feel that unless a leader is given command of the party, its prospects will unlikely to improve in the native state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Five party legislators have been roped in as working presidents. They include Lalit Kagathara, a first-time legislator from Tankara; Ambarish Der, MLA from Rajula; and Rutwik Makawana, MLA from Chotila.
All the three are from the numerically important communities — Kadva Patel, Ahir and Koli respectively and all are from Saurashtra, politically the most important region in the State.
Mr. Kagathara is a Patidar and hence upper caste, while the other two belong to OBC.
Another person who has been appointed working president is Ahmedabad MLA Himatsinh Patel, a Gurjar from Rajasthan but settled in Ahmedabad where he was Mayor. He too is a first-time MLA.
Prominent Dalit activist and legislator Jignesh Mevani has also been appointed Congress working president. Mr. Mevani has joined the party after winning the 2017 Assembly polls as an independent but supported by the Congress.
Other two leaders are: former NSUI and Gujarat youth Congress president Indravijaysinh Gohil and a minority face Kadir Pirzada from Surat.
Central observers
The high command had also appointed two Central observers for each district of the State.
“On the face of it, it looks like a perfect composition as two OBCs, one Rajput, one Gurjar, a Muslim, a Patidar and one Dalit. But the problem is who is the leader?” asked a senior party leader, adding that unless a face is identified and projected by the party, such cosmetic moves will not help.
Gujarat Congress president is Jagdish Thakor, a former parliamentarian and legislator whose influence is limited to the Thakor belt in north and central Gujarat.
Leader of the Opposition is Sukhram Rathwa, a tribal leader, whose influence is limited to the tribal belt of central Gujarat.
There are powerful regional leaders in the party but unfortunately their influence is limited to a few districts. “There is no State-level leader with mass connect across all the districts or regions of the State,” said a former member of parliament.
The party has three Rajya Sabha members: former Union Minister Naran Rathwa, a tribal leader from central Gujarat, Amee Yajnik and former Gujarat Minister Shaktisinh Gohil. However, they are hardly active in Gujarat as Mr. Gohil is in-charge of Delhi from AICC while Mr. Rathwa works only in central Gujarat tribal districts.
Since 2017, more than 20 legislators of the party joined hands with the BJP while the face of the Patidar agitation Hardik Patel also switched over to the ruling party.
After 1985, the Congress’s best performance was in 2017 when it won 77 out of 182 seats. Now, its tally stands at 64.
