Eye on Gujarat, Himachal polls: Sonia Gandhi takes charge amid growing dissent within Congress

The poll debacle faced by the Congress in the recently concluded Assembly elections in five states has escalated the infighting and blame game between the two factions — the party leadership and the dissident G-23 group. 

However, Congress interim president has taken the charge of exercising damage control within the party and preparing for the upcoming Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. 

Days after meeting Ghulam Nabi Azad, Gandhi on Tuesday met some more leaders of the G-23 grouping including Anand Sharma and Manish Tewari at her residence and held discussions on resolving internal party issues. 

It is learnt that during the meeting, the leaders suggested ways to strengthen the party and revive it to help take on the BJP in the next round of elections. According to the party sources, Gandhi is likely to meet some more leaders of the G-23 in the coming days. 

However, Sonia Gandhi is also believed to have conveyed to the G-23 leaders that no major changes in the organisation could be possible until the election for the post of party president is held in August-September this year. 

She also met a delegation of senior leaders from Himachal to review the party’s preparedness for the upcoming polls. 

The emergence of AAP was also a point of discussion. After the AAP’s landslide victory in Punjab, there were fears in the Congress that its impact could be felt in neighbouring Himachal. But most of the leaders who attended the meeting told Sonia that AAP may not be a big factor in Himachal and that the situation in Punjab and Himachal was not similar.

Tuesday’s interaction of Sonia with G-23 members was part of the series of meetings that the Congress top leadership is having with some of the leaders who have raised critical organisational issues and have suggested measures to revamp the party.

These meetings are being held amidst indications that some of the G-23 leaders may be accommodated in the Congress Working Committee or a new body like the Parliamentary Board, which will be responsible for all policy decisions including finalising chief ministerial candidates and tie-ups with like-minded parties in states.

The group is also reportedly seeking the ouster of some Rahul Gandhi loyalists from key AICC positions and top on their target are AICC general secretary Organisation KC Venugopal, chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and general secretary Ajay Maken. Sources said one or more may be shifted to placate the dissident group.

G-23 is a group of dissenting Congress leaders who have been demanding an organisational overhaul and have been critical of the party leadership. They have also questioned some of the decisions taken by the party leadership, including alliances with some regional outfits.