By ruling out an immediate Congress overhaul, Rahul seems to be following in his mother’s footsteps

Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s clarification on Saturday that the long overdue overhaul of the party organisation was unlikely to occur soon brought relief to state office bearers – but disappointed a large section of the party that was hoping for a revamp.

In an unusual step, the party sent a press release stating that the state unit chiefs and office bearers would continue in their positions in the near future. “Congress president Rahul Gandhi has taken a decision that the presidents of all Pradesh Congress Committees, Regional Congress Committees and Territorial Congress Committees, will continue in their posts after the organisational elections, unless some decision is taken to replace them,” the release said.

While admitting that such communication was not standard practice for the Congress, party insiders maintained that it was done to end the uncertainty among the cadres. Assuming an overhaul was imminent, office bearers had stopped working, while the state units had become virtually defunct, with many fearing for their postions.

This was particularly so because of the power tussle between the party’s old guard known to be close to Sonia Gandhi and the next-generation leaders supported by Rahul Gandhi. Office bearers in the states who were mentored by the party seniors were nervous that they would be sidelined in the new dispensation.

“This announcement will, at least, get the state units functioning once again while the office bearers will feel encouraged to get back to work,” said a senior Congress functionary. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi has not ruled out an organisational revamp, party insiders said.

“I think, this is a correct decision, said Kishore Chandra Deo, head of the party’s scheduled tribes department. “Organisation elections have yet to be completed in several states...the changes should be undertaken only after this process is over. At the same time, changes have not been ruled out...people will be replaced as and when required.”

Long wait

However, Saturday’s press statement has demoralised the large section of the Congress that had pinned its hopes on Rahul Gandhi to infuse fresh blood in the party to revitalise its members.

An overhaul of the party structure has been on the anvil ever since the the Congress’s massive defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which has been followed by multiple setbacks in state elections. Many had expected that once the Gandhi-Nehru scion took formal charge of the Congress, decisive steps would follow to stem the party’s decline.

But that ascension was long delayed, bogging down members of the party. When he finally took charge as Congress president on December 11, it was widely expected that the promised changes would be undertaken soon, given that key Assembly elections are due this year – including in Karnataka, the only big state where the party is in power – and the Lok Sabha elections are due in 2019.

Congress insiders said the expected revamp will be undertaken after Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as party president is formally ratified at a plenary session of the All-India Congress Committee, which is expected to be held in February.

But quick decisions are imperative in some of the poll-bound states, such as Madhya Pradesh, where a leadership stalemate has persisted for months now. There has been talk of replacing State Congress Chief Arun Yadav for more than six months, but the leadership was so far unable to decide between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia to take over the post.

In his mother’s footsteps

In this matter, Rahul Gandhi seems to be following in the footsteps of Sonia Gandhi, who did not believe in taking rushed decisions or rocking the boat for fear of a backlash from disgruntled party members.

Rahul Gandhi too does not want to usher in any big-bang changes to avoid any major confrontation till he gets a firm grip on the party. He has periodically assured senior leaders that he has no intention of retiring them, publicly maintaining that he gives great importance to experience.

But Sonia Gandhi’s excessive caution earned her the reputation of being status-quoist. The new party chief has instead adopted a calibrated approach. Even before Rahul Gandhi was elevated, he had made a series of tweaks to the organisation, but in instalments.

For instance, in April, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh was stripped of the charge of poll-bound Karnataka and replaced by a Rahul Gandhi nominee, KC Venugopal. In May, he inducted the relatively junior Avinash Pande as general secretary and gave him the responsibility of Rajasthan, which is also headed for polls this year. In September, Rahul Gandhi loyalist Deepak Babaria was appointed Congress’ general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh.

After becoming party president, he replaced Meghalaya Congress president DD Lapang with Celestine Lyndogh on December 30.

At the same time, he has taken care to keep party seniors happy as well, giving important assignments to veterans like Ashok Gehlot, who was made the in-charge of Gujarat and Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was given responsibility of Himachal Pradesh before last year’s Assembly elections in those states.