The crushing defeat the Congress candidates received in all the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttarakhand could prove a blessings in disguise for the beleaguered party in the Himalayan state as different factions of the party are showing signs sinking their differences to fight the onslaught of the BJP.
Coming more than two years after the debacle in the assembly elections of 2017 when BJP coasted to a landslide victory by claiming 57 seats out of 70 in the state assembly, the humiliating defeat of Congress in the Lok Sabha elections has given a food for thought for the senior leaders of Congress party.
A realisation seems to have dawned over the warring factions of the party that for their very survival they should now put up a united front against the BJP. Apart from this realisation, the Congress leaders fear that the Congress high command could now take some course correcting measure to pull the party out of the ruins. The statements and actions of Congress leaders are clearly indicating that they are now ready to bury the hatchet and work in coordination.
Former chief minister and member of Congress Working Committee (CWC) Harish Rawat and former Pradesh Congress Committee ( PCC) president Kishore Upadhyay have made it a point to the visit the Rajiv Bhawan, the headquarters of state Congress in last few days.
The state unit of the Congress party is clearly divided into different factions. These factions are led by Harish Rawat, PCC president Pritam Singh, former PCC president Kishore Upadhyay and the leader of opposition Indira Hridayesh.
Among these groups, the factions of Pritam Singh and Indira Hridayesh appear to be working in tandem to ward off the challenge by the powerful faction led by Harish Rawat. After the debacle of the party in the assembly elections, Indira Hridayesh emerged as most vocal critic of Harish Rawat. She strongly and openly opposed Harish Rawat when he staked his claim on party ticket from Nainital- Udham Singh Nagar constituency.
The leaders close to Harish Rawat claim that the elections, the supporters of Indira Hridayesh worked against Harish Rawat.
However in the changed circumstances when a big question of existence and electoral relevance is looming large before the grand old party, the warring factions of Congress have finally called the truce.
When contacted by The Pioneer, the PCC President Pritam Singh accepted that difference of opinion exists among leaders in the party but is not uncommon.
In a veiled warning to the leaders of the party who are at loggerheads among each other, Singh said, “we should all understand that our existence is because of the party. It is time for introspection for everyone of us. All the leaders of the party should take a pledge to work together to strengthen the party.’’
Political pundits believe that it is high time for the senior leaders of Congress party to sink their differences. Senior journalist Jai Singh Rawat said, “It is a good sign that the Congress leaders have finally understood that they should sink their differences and put up a united fight against BJP.
A big victory like the BJP received in Lok Sabha election is bound to make its leaders arrogant which would induce them to commit mistakes and Congress can capitalise on these mistakes.
If the Congress party sets its equations right then it can stop the juggernaut of the BJP in the state. One should remember that the Congress has a strong support base in Uttarakhand.’’