A non-Gandhi to lead the Indian National Congress. Genuine elections or a sham?

The Indian National Congress will soon have a non-Gandhi as president of the party. Pic Credit: Economic Times

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — The Indian National Congress (INC), the oldest political party in the world’s largest democracy, is conducting internal elections. For the first time in over two decades, more than 9000 delegates of the party will get a chance to choose between two candidates, Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr. Shashi Tharoor as the party’s 37th president post-independence.

However, the most significant detail of this election is that there is no representative of the Nehru-Gandhi family in the fray. This means, that for the first time in 24 years, the party will be led by a non-Gandhi President.

The Congress Party is electing a new President.

The resignation of Rahul Gandhi from the post of the party President in 2019 triggered the need for this exercise. He had become president unopposed in 2017, taking over the party’s reigns from his mother Sonia Gandhi.

Rahul is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984. His father, Rajiv Gandhi, who become the PM after Indira’s assassination, was also killed in 1991.

Following Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, the party re-appointed his mother as interim president.

Democratic elections or a sham?

The latest elections for the post of the Congress president have thrown the limelight on the Gandhi family more than the two candidates. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other political adversaries have long criticized the party for its one-family rule.

The Nehru-Gandhi family has cumulatively been at the helm of the party’s affairs for 40 years. Sonia Gandhi has single-handedly led the party since 1998, except for two years (2017-2019) when her son Rahul took over.

The ruling BJP has alleged elections in the Congress Party are rigged.

However, critics allege that the current elections are nothing more than a farce to show that the party is indeed democratic. According to reports in the Indian media, the party leadership has already pre-determined the results. This process, then, is nothing more than a show.

The Candidates: Gandhi-choice Kharge vs underdog Tharoor

The Congress Party election is about a fight between the old guard and the face of change.

People see 80 years old Mallikarjun Kharge as the Gandhi family’s choice. He also enjoys the support of the party grandees.

This comes as no surpirse. Kharge has been a member of the INC since 1969. He is one of the most prominent politicians in the Indian state of Karnataka. He has won elections to the state Legislative Assembly as many as 8 times.

Having served as the Party President in Karnataka, he was also elected twice as a Member of Parliament. Mr. Kharge has also served as the Leader of the Opposition in both houses of the Parliament.

He stepped up to file his nominations after the Gandhi family’s initial choice Ashok Gehlot refused to contest. Gehlot is the current Chief Minister of the state of Rajasthan.

Although an experienced politician and an organizational man, Mallikarjun Kharge symbolizes the status quo. If he is elected, critics allege things will remain the same, and the Gandhis will retain control and influence.

Is Shashi Tharoor fighting a losing battle against Mallkarjun Kharge?

Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor promises to bring institutional change. He is much younger and more dynamic than Mr. Kharge. Before his political career, he served 29 years at the United Nations. Under Kofi Annan, he became the Undersecretary General of the UN.

Upon returning from the UN, he joined the Congress party and became an MP from Kerala. An avid author, Tharoor is sometimes seen as an elite, English-speaking outsider with no organizational experience.

However, others see his mass appeal beyond the typical Congress voter base as the best chance the party has for revival.

Congress elections symbolize the rise of the South again

Both the candidates for the post of Congress President are from South India. While Mallikarjun Kharge is from Karnataka, Tharoor has won multiple elections from Kerala. The party has previously had 9 presidents from South India.

The media and critics said Tharoor has no chance of winning because he does not come from the Hindi-speaking belt, i.e North India. However, such criticism was not extended to Mr. Kharge, whose non-Hindi speaking background did not seem to be a problem.

The Congress Party has had 9 presidents from South India.

It only goes to show, that if you have the blessings of the Gandhi-Nehru family, your lineage is not a hindrance.

To make matters worse, Shashi Tharoor’s lavish career in the UN and his impeccable Oxford English makes him look too elite and entitled. Nonetheless, those fed up with the status quo look at him as the party’s chance to revival.

Meanwhile, other parties have little right to criticize, given that no other major party, including the ruling BJP, holds such an election. But to their credit, none of them have been run by the same family for 40 years.

With all the votes now cast, one has to wait till the 19th to find out the result. Will the party elect the old guard or will it vote for change? We’ll find out.

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