NEW DELHI, May 22: The announcement of Rajesh Pilot's entry in the contest for Congress presidentship and former Andhra Pradesh Congress chief V Hanumantha's hunger strike outside the AICC headquarters in protest against ``attempts to hijack the organisation by a faction'' were the main developments in the ongoing struggle for hegemony in the Congress party today.

For the followers of Congress president Kesri, none of these were really unexpected. Treating them as `minor pinpricks' which were part of the game, they went ahead with their plans to forge a consensus in favour of Kesri retaining the reigns after the organisational elections for the party presidentship due on June 9.

Kesri himself spoke to the fasting Rao and tried to mollify other Andhra dissidents like G Venkataswamy and K Rossaiah in face-to-face talks at his residence. His field commanders -- like AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandez -- went about the follow-up work with breezy confidence. They were also hopeful of an early solution to the crisis in Kerala following an attack by K Karunakaran's supporters on State returning officer Kishore Chandradeo and his subsequent resignation from the job. Kerala PCC chief Vaylar Ravi, who was summoned to Delhi last night had two rounds of talks with Kesri today.

Pilot's candidature was announced today by a group of MPs including Y S Rajasekahara Reddy, S S Ahluwalia and K P Singh Deo in his absence. Jammu and Kashmir PCC chief Ghulam Rasool Kar was also present.

The proposers told a press conference that Pilot had agreed to be candidate for the top AICC slot to fulfill Rajiv Gandhi's wish to have the youth lead the country into the twenty first century.`` He is not only dynamic but also physically fit to undertake any arduous journey across the length and breadth of the country to revamp the party organisation,'' they said pointedly.

An unperturbed Kesri camp feigned ignorance about Pilot's intentions.``So far, no nomination has been filed for the Congress presidentship and that is all I know,'' Oscar Fernandez who is also the returning officer for the Congress presidential election said, reciprocating the dissidents' sarcasm.

Pilot was the lone dissenter in the CWC when Kesri was chosen party chief in September last year following the resignation of P V Narasimha Rao.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.