The recent episode of Rajasthan Congress MLAs rebelling in favour of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has exposed a contradiction that the party has been grappling with for some time now.
The party, it is argued, needs powerful regional leaders in States to turn things around and win elections. But strong regional satraps don't necessarily follow the diktats of passing a "one-line" resolution to empower the Congress president and the high command to take decisions for them.
In Rajasthan, the refusal of the MLAs, loyal to Mr. Gehlot, to endorse the high command's choice of Sachin Pilot as a chief ministerial candidate changed the course of the Congress president's elections. While it forced Mr. Gehlot to drop out of the presidential race, it prompted party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge to join the race against Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor.
