Poll results give fillip to C D Patel as Gujarat Cong chief

Poll results give fillip to C D Patel as Gujarat Cong chief
DARSHAN DESAI

GANDHINAGAR, OCT 2: Lady luck is smiling at State Congress president C D Patel at the moment. Just at the time the Congress in Gujarat was searching for a new low after hitting the downhill slide in the mid-nineties, the electorate has given a pleasant shock to the party and oxygen to its embattled state chief who was facing a serious threat from his rivals in the party.

The fabled rumblings in the State Congress had reached such a crescendo in the run-up to the municipal and panchayat elections that the party high command had been considering a change of guard. There were rumours to the effect that Patel had already put in his papers recently, thanks to the bunglings in the distribution of tickets.

It was already in the air that the State Congress organisational elections next month might not give C D Patel another term, and the Madhavsinh Solanki and the Shankersinh Vaghela groups had already started an exercise to impress upon the high command to replace Patel by someone from their group.

With the Congress turning in a sparkling performance, although by default, it would now be extremely difficult for the central party leadership to go in for a change of guard.

In contrast to the party's practice of appointing the State Congress president, the high command might consider calling for a consensus from the State unit during the organisational elections. Earlier too, the Congress leadership held the election to replace former State chief Prabodh Rawal by C D Patel, and steered clear from any controversy.

While the Madhavsinh faction, numbed by the results, seems to have adopted a wait-and-watch policy, reliable party sources said the Vaghela group might try to convey to the high command that since this was an anti-incumbency vote, the party would need a strong leader to build upon the victory and prepare a `real' base for the Assembly elections, three years later.

Officially, Solanki says, ``The people have voted firmly against the misrule of the BJP and reposed faith in the Congress and provided it a vital opportunity to implement its programmes. Now, it is upto the newly-elected municipal corporations and panchayats to build on the victory and not become complacent. At the same time, proper consensus candidates should head the local self-governments.'' He declined to comment on the State leadership.

Similarly, Madhusudan Mistry, a close associate of Vaghela, refused to comment on the PCC leadership, but said this was a clear vote against the BJP and it was necessary. On the change of guard now, he said it was for the high command to decide. Asked about Vaghela's strategy, Mistry said, ``We have no strategy, except to strengthen the Congress further.''

It may be recalled that the serious bunglings and crass groupism while finalising candidates for the elections to the six municipal corporations had spawned abusive and violent exchanges between the Ahmed Patel-backed C D Patel-Amarsinh Chaudhary group and the Madhavsinh Solanki group.

The high command had to intervene to constitute a committee to decide the candidates for the taluka and district panchayat polls. Though even this step by the AICC left a trail of discontent, mistrust and allegations of groupism, all that now has little meaning with the results putting the Congress on a high.