Routed Congress does a rethink

AHMEDABAD, OCT 8: Poor show by the State Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, in which it managed to get only six of the total 26 seats, ...

AHMEDABAD, OCT 8: Poor show by the State Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, in which it managed to get only six of the total 26 seats, is forcing leaders to think in terms of 8220;a complete restructuring8221; of the faction-ridden party.

These leaders cite rampant groupism, coupled with inertia within the party, as the main reason for defeat. Had the various factions worked sincerely in the election campaign, the party could have wrested upto 10 Lok Sabha seats from the BJP, they say.

Girish Dani, who lost to Harin Pathak of the BJP in Ahmedabad, minces no words: 8220;My chances were sabotaged by the local party leader. Over the years, the party has become lifeless; it is dominated by self-styled leaders, many of whom haven8217;t won an election in the last many years. How can they allow someone like me to win?8221;

Dani says the Congress will not survive unless the dead wood is removed and young blood infused in the organisation: 8220;I am planning to meet Sonia Gandhi and demand that she go in for a restructuring and overhauling of the entire party.8221; According to Dani, only Shankersinh Vaghela had the potential to salvage the Congress.

Former state RJP president and senior Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry cites infighting as an important reason for the party8217;s failure to retain its tally of even seven seats. Another former RJP man Vishnu Pandya blamed it on the lack of effective campaigning.

8220;How could the Congress give a tough fight to the BJP when it is divided into so many groups, each pulling in a different direction,8221; remarked yet another leader.

However, Leader of Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary who, along with party president C D Patel, dominates the PCC, says the party doesn8217;t need any restructuring; only a few changes are required. C D Patel echoes similar views: 8220;The Congress may have won only six seats, but the margin of defeat has drastically decreased.8221;

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But senior Congress leader and former chief minister Chhabildas Mehta says party leaders should do some introspection to find out the reason behind the poll reverses. He attributes the rout to the 8220;lack of grassroots level workers8221; as a result of which the party could not exploit the anti-incumbency factor in the State.