Despite a Victory in Punjab, the Congress Is in a Deeper Crisis, Prompting Fresh Calls for a Leadership Change at the Helm
ON MARCH 10, a day before the assembly election results in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, the Congress appointed a new president in Arunachal Pradesh. In this northeastern state, where 43 of its 44 MLAs had deserted the party last year to form a BJP government, the choice of president was crucial as he would be tasked with rebuilding the party from almost scratch. The Congress high command handed the arduous job to Takam Sanjoy, who had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Arunachal West. In 2011, India today had reported an allegation of rape against him.
Yet, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who talks of bringing transparency and merit to the Congress’s organisational structure, believes Sanjoy is the best bet for reviving the party in the state. Such inexplicable decisions reflect the rot in a party that is down to just 813 assembly seats—20 per cent of the total 4,020 in the country. The BJP’s primary rival on paper is in power in only seven states—it’s an alliance partner in Bihar—while the saffron party rules 14 and, at the time of filing this report, had won an invite from the Manipur governor to form a government in the state.
More importantly, the Congress is out of power in eight big states—UP, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan—that account for 331 Lok Sabha seats. In the Lok Sabha, the Congress has 44 MPs against the BJP’s 282.
Denne historien er fra March 27, 2017-utgaven av India Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 27, 2017-utgaven av India Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Killer Stress
Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
