While major political parties in Tamil Nadu, like the AIADMK, the DMK and the PMK are in the process of revamping the party structure following the setbacks suffered during the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP and the Congress leadership are groping in the dark about how to prepare the respective organisations in time for the 2019 lok Sabha election.
The Congress High Command is faced with a peculiar problem in finding out a successor for EVKS Elangovan who submitted his resignation early June following the poor show by the party in the May 16 Assembly election. The Congress had contested the election as an ally of the DMK and won eight of the 41 seats.
In 2011 Assembly election the Congress won just five of the 61 seats. The new TNCC president, whoever it may be, will not get peace of mind from the moment he/she assumes office at Satyamoorthi Bhavan. The next day itself will see processions by various faction leaders to New Delhi to complain against the incumbent and demand the dismissal of the new president. That’s the precedence which was being followed all these years.
Elangovan’s tenure saw various faction leaders including P Chidambaram holding rallies of their followers either to 10 Janpath or to the residence of Rahul Gandhi demanding the former’s ouster. “Unless the Congress High Command declares a blanket ban on such dissidence activities, the Congress in Tamil Nadu will not see any kind of cease fire lasting between various faction leaders,” said N Kalyanasundaram, historian of TNCC.
The names being mentioned for the post of TNCC president varies from P Chidambaram, former Union Finance Minister, Sudarshanan Nachiappan, former Rajya Sabha member, S Thirunavakarasar (who has vast experience in DMK, the AIADMK and the BJP), Peter Alphonse (who has been shuttling between Congress and Tamil Manila Congress) and H Vasanth Kumar, younger brother of veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan.
Some party insiders have proposed names of comparatively young leaders like former Youth Congress president CD Meyyappan and Jothimani Sennimalai, a rebel who was recently in the news over denial of seat to her in the Assembly election.
Though Chidambaram does not have any mass base in Tamil Nadu, the fact that he enjoys the full confidence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has to be taken into account. The perpetual dissidents who undertake pilgrimage to the Party High Command demanding replacement of the TNCC chief are likely to abstain from their game as Chidambaram is a feared man in the State thanks to his arrogance. “He enjoys a good rapport with DMK chief M Karunanidhi. In fact Karunanidhi had endorsed Chidambaram’s name as Prime Minister in the run up to the 2014 lok Sabha election though the DMK had no ties with the Congress at that time,” said a veteran Congress observer in the State.
While Kalyanasundaram felt Thirunavakkarassar, with his experience in the Dravidian parties as the best bet under the present conditions, A R Meyyammai, Madurai based political observer said the Congress High Command should consider of appointing a woman as the PCC chief. “Sennimalai Jothimani is an ideal candidate. She is young and a proactive Congress leader who enjoys the confidence of the central leaders. But she should rein in her rebellious nature,” suggested Meyyammai
There is a strong view in the party that Elangovan should have been asked to continue as TNCC chief since his teure saw the party getting strengthened thanks to the series of agitations launched by his against the AIADMK Government.