NEW HANDS, OLD CHALLENGES

Assembly polls loss has triggered a generational shift in the Congress in the Hindi heartland

- SONI MISHRA

A fortnight after the results of the assembly elections came out, the Congress has begun the process of fixing accountability for the losses. The decisions reflect a desire to put in place a generational change.

In Madhya Pradesh, especially, the high command pushed out the old to usher in the new. It is learnt that former party president Rahul Gandhi rang up state leader Jitu Patwari on the morning of December 16 to tell him that he was made the new state Congress president. The decision was made public later in the day. Party veteran Kamal Nath's continuation as the state unit's chief had become untenable as the poll results were a clear rejection of his leadership. The party won just 66 seats of 230. Apparently, Nath was reluctant to give way despite the clear message from the high command.

Patwari, 50, is an OBC leader and close to Rahul. He is known for his aggressive style of politics. The party has also appointed young leader Umang Singhar, a tribal face, as the leader of the opposition.

The imprint of the central leadership was clear in the changes made in Madhya Pradesh—both Patwari and Singhar do not belong to any faction in the state. It is also learnt that the views of Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh were not taken into account while choosing the new leadership.