Is the Congress running scared of the Bharatiya Janata Party's massive membership of 10 crore?
Earlier this month, the Congress put off its organisational elections and extended the deadline for its membership drive for the fourth time since the poll schedule was first announced last October.
The official reason being given for the postponement has been the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls and panchayat elections in several other states. Party workers, it was pointed out, would be far too busy with election work to devote any time to enrolling new members.
However, Congress insiders maintained, this is far from the truth. The grand old party has been intimidated by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s declaration that it has enrolled 10 crore members. So far, the Congress’s own membership compares poorly with that of its chief political rival. The Congress usually does not attach much significance to numbers but membership figures have become important after the BJP’s claims.
Far behind
The latest Congress membership figures are hard to come by but party leaders admitted that it is way behind the BJP, even if the saffron party’s figures are exaggerated. The Congress believes it would send out a wrong message if it went public with details about its enrolment drive. Not only would it demoralise the rank and file but it would also reinforce the public perception that the Congress remains an unattractive option for the voter even one year after the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress cadres have never taken the membership drive very seriously. In their attempt to meet their targets, workers would inevitably pick up names from the electoral list in their area and pass them off as members they had enrolled. In most cases, those whose names were included were not even aware that they had been enlisted as Congress members.
This time, however, the guidelines laid down by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have made their task more difficult. Well aware of the short-cuts taken by the workers, Gandhi has prescribed that new members be asked to submit a signed form with their photographs. Not only is this a slow and tedious process but it is beyond Congress workers who are not used to hard work.
“How can we possibly hope to compete with the BJP in such a situation?” asked a Congress office bearer.
Moreover, the public anger against the Congress, which caused it to lose the last elections, is still to abate. The party is facing a tough task in attracting members in states like Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar. The party is, however, encouraged by the response it has got in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana. The Congress general secretaries in charge of the poorly performing states have been asked to travel to these states and encourage party workers to participate enthusiastically in the membership drive.
The Congress had announced its membership drive last October and fixed the deadline for March 31. This was subsequently extended to May 15 and then again to June 15. It has now been postponed indefinitely.
Presidential problem
Since the membership drive is followed by organisational polls that culminate in the election of the party president, the latest development has put a question mark on when exactly Rahul Gandhi’s will be elevated to the position of Congress chief and effect the long-awaited reshuffle in the party.
It was widely expected that Rahul Gandhi would take over the reins of the party by October. Now that there is no clarity about the election of the Congress president, there is a buzz in the party that Rahul Gandhi may take over earlier. On the other hand, it is argued that Rahul Gandhi would prefer the election route, even if it is a mere formality, since he has been a passionate advocate of inner party democracy.
“There is no doubt that Rahul Gandhi will be taking over as party president,” said a senior Congress leader. “It is just a matter of timing.”
Several Congress leaders believe the uncertainty over Rahul Gandhi’s anointment should end at the earliest as the delay will make the rank and file more restless and uncertain. On the other hand, there is a view that the postponement of the election schedule is a wise decision as it would prove to be an unnecessary interference at a time when Rahul Gandhi is at his active best.
The Nehru-Gandhi scion has transformed himself into an aggressive campaigner since his return from a long sabbatical two months ago. He has launched a no-hold-barred attack against the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been travelling extensively to different states as part of a well thought-out plan to energise party workers and connect with voters.
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Earlier this month, the Congress put off its organisational elections and extended the deadline for its membership drive for the fourth time since the poll schedule was first announced last October.
The official reason being given for the postponement has been the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls and panchayat elections in several other states. Party workers, it was pointed out, would be far too busy with election work to devote any time to enrolling new members.
However, Congress insiders maintained, this is far from the truth. The grand old party has been intimidated by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s declaration that it has enrolled 10 crore members. So far, the Congress’s own membership compares poorly with that of its chief political rival. The Congress usually does not attach much significance to numbers but membership figures have become important after the BJP’s claims.
Far behind
The latest Congress membership figures are hard to come by but party leaders admitted that it is way behind the BJP, even if the saffron party’s figures are exaggerated. The Congress believes it would send out a wrong message if it went public with details about its enrolment drive. Not only would it demoralise the rank and file but it would also reinforce the public perception that the Congress remains an unattractive option for the voter even one year after the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress cadres have never taken the membership drive very seriously. In their attempt to meet their targets, workers would inevitably pick up names from the electoral list in their area and pass them off as members they had enrolled. In most cases, those whose names were included were not even aware that they had been enlisted as Congress members.
This time, however, the guidelines laid down by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have made their task more difficult. Well aware of the short-cuts taken by the workers, Gandhi has prescribed that new members be asked to submit a signed form with their photographs. Not only is this a slow and tedious process but it is beyond Congress workers who are not used to hard work.
“How can we possibly hope to compete with the BJP in such a situation?” asked a Congress office bearer.
Moreover, the public anger against the Congress, which caused it to lose the last elections, is still to abate. The party is facing a tough task in attracting members in states like Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar. The party is, however, encouraged by the response it has got in Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana. The Congress general secretaries in charge of the poorly performing states have been asked to travel to these states and encourage party workers to participate enthusiastically in the membership drive.
The Congress had announced its membership drive last October and fixed the deadline for March 31. This was subsequently extended to May 15 and then again to June 15. It has now been postponed indefinitely.
Presidential problem
Since the membership drive is followed by organisational polls that culminate in the election of the party president, the latest development has put a question mark on when exactly Rahul Gandhi’s will be elevated to the position of Congress chief and effect the long-awaited reshuffle in the party.
It was widely expected that Rahul Gandhi would take over the reins of the party by October. Now that there is no clarity about the election of the Congress president, there is a buzz in the party that Rahul Gandhi may take over earlier. On the other hand, it is argued that Rahul Gandhi would prefer the election route, even if it is a mere formality, since he has been a passionate advocate of inner party democracy.
“There is no doubt that Rahul Gandhi will be taking over as party president,” said a senior Congress leader. “It is just a matter of timing.”
Several Congress leaders believe the uncertainty over Rahul Gandhi’s anointment should end at the earliest as the delay will make the rank and file more restless and uncertain. On the other hand, there is a view that the postponement of the election schedule is a wise decision as it would prove to be an unnecessary interference at a time when Rahul Gandhi is at his active best.
The Nehru-Gandhi scion has transformed himself into an aggressive campaigner since his return from a long sabbatical two months ago. He has launched a no-hold-barred attack against the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been travelling extensively to different states as part of a well thought-out plan to energise party workers and connect with voters.
