It is Sharad season in Cong…….

Both Sharads are known for their political craftiness, and are viewed with a wariness by the big leaders of their parties. Both have the capacity to dig in their heels and consolidate their grip over their organisations which make them a threat to others.

Sharad Pawar is a leader with a base; Sharad Yadav excels in backroom politics. (Many remember that incident in Haryana Bhavan in the early days of the Janata Dal in 1988 when V P Singh had walked out in a huff and Devi Lal had made his famous “jaata hai to ja” (go if you want to) remark. Yadav had run after Singh and brought him back. Later he told friends, “Maaine unke kaan maen aisa mantra phhooka ki woh bina sawal kiye vapis aa gaye” (I muttered such a mantra in his ears, that he returned without questioning me). What that mantra was, is not known. Yadav is also suspected to be the person who advised Singh to resort to Mandal in August 1990 to deal with the challenge of Devi Lal.) Both Sharads have for long waited for this moment, and neither is willing to pull back. This time Pawar has everything to gain and nothing to lose. He has already put a question mark against the unchallenged leadership of Kesri. Even if he does not pip the `chacha’ to the post, he would have created a nucleus of nationwide support in the party. All those unhappy with the High Command over the recent elections, and their number is not small, would cast their lot with the Maratha.

Before Kesri could get into the act, in a preemptive strike, Pawar offered to step aside if Sonia Gandhi wants to step in. The idea was to win her support and counter the impression that they do not get on. Sonia Gandhi may have told Pawar that she has no candidate when he called on her earlier this week, but from her viewpoint, it would be easier to dislodge Kesri than Pawar if she wanted to take over the reins of the party before the general elections. This is not being ruled out.

Sharad Yadav has also stated that if the party decides to choose a president by consensus, he too would not stand in the way. But he is unlikely to make way for Laloo. After years of networking in the party, he is expected to win if there is a contest today. Hence the nervous signals from Laloo.

The senior leadership of the JD is yet to bestir itself to deal with the crisis that can split the party, though Madhu Dandavate, Bapu Kaldate and Surendra Mohan met yesterday in a war council of sorts. There is a view in the party that Prime Minister I K Gujral should take over the presidentship of the JD to give both Yadavs an opportunity to cease fire. Gujral has been adamant that running the JD is not his cup of tea. Madhu Dandavate is another possible consensus name though he is hardly likely to welcome running a party like the JD in place of the more sedate Planning Commission. Then there are Surendra Mohan and Jaipal Reddy. There is also the procedural problem of the election process having been set into motion, with the Election Commission having set a deadline by which it must be completed.For Sharad Yadav a third-person-consensus may be acceptable because he can then continue as Working President. But for Laloo Yadav it is now a life and death battle for survival and giving up the party presidentship could prove to be suicidal. For after all, he may well be compelled to quit as Chief Minister if the Bihar Governor gives the CBI the permission to prosecute him. Laloo may be left with no option but to float his own Janata Dal and go in for a mid term poll in Bihar.

The adversaries of both Sharads are unpredictable men. Within three months of being anointed by Narasimha Rao, Kesri threatened to sack him. Defying all established norms, Laloo could think nothing of fixing the venue of the election as a candidate nor of threatening a show cause notice to the Returning Officer.

The decision by both Sharads to challenge the incumbent presidents of their parties is an unusual development for both the Congress and the JD. The last time a contest took place in the Congress was in 1950 when Purushottam Das Tandon defeated Acharya Kripalani. But Tandon did not remain president for more than a few months. Nor for that matter did Subhas Chandra Bose who defeated Pattabhi Sitaramiah in 1939.The Janata Dal, which is only a sibling of the Congress, has not had such a contest before.

The contest forced by both the Sharads has the potential to trigger off a split in both parties, and the struggle has already become a bitter one. This could lead to a further regionalisation of the polity.