Sonia asserts herself, gets her nominees as PCC chiefs

NEW DELHI, NOV 25: After going through the motions of electing'' Sonia Gandhi as the party chief earlier this month, the Congress today ...

NEW DELHI, NOV 25: After going through the motions of 8220;electing8221; Sonia Gandhi as the party chief earlier this month, the Congress today began the second stage its organisational poll drama with the renomination of the incumbent PCC chiefs in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharasthra.

More such command performances will follow in the coming days as Sonia completes the exercise of choosing her chiefs in all states, barring Assam and Kerala which didn8217;t go to polls. In most states, the incumbent chiefs are expected to continue since they already have blessings of the high command.

The elections of the PCC chiefs were reduced to a mere formality when all state units, barring Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, authorised Sonia to nominate her candidate to the post. And as expected, the party chief chose to retain her nominees, Amirinder Singh in Punjab, Girija Vyas in Rajasthan and Govindrao Adik in Maharasthra.

With the high command deciding the names in Delhi, PCC elections in the three states had become redundant but the party nonetheless went through all the attendant formalites such as announcement of the election date and filing of nominations by candidates. Since there was to be no challenger, Amrinder, Vyas and Adik were declared 8220;unanimously elected8221; by the stateelection chiefs in Chandigarh, Jaipur and Mumbai today. The PCC chiefs are elected by PCC delegates from their respective states.

In renominating the three PCC chiefs, Sonia has sought to underline her authority in the party since they were all handpicked by her during her earlier tenure. Adik8217;s renomination in particular is being viewed in party circles as a clear snub from Sonia to state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh since the latter had been campaigning hard for his removal. Adik and Deshmukh have been at loggerheads for a long time and the former8217;s continuance suggests difficult days ahead for the Chief Minister since he is already under notice from the high command to deliver or face the axe.

It is only in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where Sonia is facing problems in renominating the reigning PCC chiefs, S.P. Jaiswal and E.V.K.S. Elangovan, due to charges of 8220;non-performance8221; by their rivals. Elections to the PCC chief8217;s post are a near certainty in UP where rebel leader Jitendra Prasada has fielded party MP S.S. Bundela for the top job. And in Tamil Nadu, rival factions are hooting for a change on the plea that Elangovan8217;s renomination will spell doom for the party8217;s alliance with AIADMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress in next year8217;s Assembly elections in the state.

However, both Jaiswal and Elangovan were handpicked by Sonia only recently to head the units in states which are very crucial for the party8217;s comeback trail.

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Along with selecting the PCC chiefs, the high command has also begun finalising the list of the 900-odd AICC delegates who will elect half the 24-member Congress Working Committee CWC next month. The CWC elections will be the last and final round of the poll process: the AICC delegates will be given the official list of candidates who are to be elected to the part8217;s highest policy-making body.

Meanwhile, Sonia today set the stage for the CWC elections by formally converting the existing CWC into a steering committee to carry on its routine work till the new body is reconstituted.