FILLING THE PATEL VOID

The search for a new version of the late Ahmed Patel is on in the Congress. But with the party out of power and a generational shift in the works, the post comes with huge challenges

- KAUSHIK DEKA

Ahmed Patel was the only Congress leader who could call all three members of the Gandhi family—party president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi—on their mobile phones at any time of the day. This unparalleled access wasn’t just a reflection of the trust the first family had in Patel, but also a testimony to the unique role he played in the party.

He was the pivot around which the multiple power centres of the party—from the Gandhis to the veterans to the young guns—functioned. By formal designation, he was Sonia’s political secretary for two decades and treasurer of the party since 2018. But he was a lot more than that—he was trouble shooter-in-chief during any crisis and a sounding board for Congress leaders across generations.

On multiple occasions, Patel preempted possibilities of friction within the party or with allies/ rivals by working the phones or holding clandestine meetings, away from anyone’s glare, and often till the wee hours. And when needed, he was the most trusted bridge between the Congress and other parties for political negotiations. That’s the reason many observers, paying tribute to the diminutive partyman from Gujarat who passed away on November 25, called him the “rear engine” of the Congress-led UPA government between 2004 and 2014.