Bhopal: With the seven-phase general elections coming to an end on June one, a strong section of Congress in Madhya Pradesh here wondered if the change of state party leadership barely weeks before the Lok Sabha polls was ill-timed.
The AICC replaced veteran leader Kamal Nath with former minister Jitu Patwari in the post of PCC chief barely a few weeks before the Lok Sabha elections ‘without giving enough time’ to the latter to gear up the party for the polls, a senior party functionary told this newspaper here on Thursday.
Besides, Mr Patwari could hardly get any time to consolidate his position in the party in the run up to the LS polls, the Congress leader said, while seeking anonymity.
Mr Patwari’s hands were also tied to recast the beleaguered party that had received a morale shattering debacle in the Assembly elections in the state, held barely five months before the LS polls, after he was made PCC chief.
Mr Patwari had announced to reconstitute the state executive body of the party soon after assuming the office, but he made a U-turn a day later by withdrawing his decision.
“Mr Patwari has failed to firm up his grip over the party after he was appointed in the post. This had affected the poll preparations by the party”, the Congress leader said.
This was evident from the fact that he was unable to arrest the mass exodus of Congress activists in the run up to the LS polls, leading to demoralisation in the party cadres.
Over 18,000 Congress activists including top and middle level leaders and grass root level workers had quit the party and joined BJP and other parties during the period, leaving the party in disarray.
“Congress had the winning prospects in at least half-a-dozen LS seats in the state. But, the exodus of leaders in the party had considerably de-motivated the cadres in these seats, putting them in the category of keenly contested ones”, another senior Congress leader said.
Besides, Congress veterans such as Mr Nath and former chief minister Digivjay Singh had to confine themselves in Rajgarh and Chhindwara LS constituencies respectively, depriving the party of their rich election management experience.
While Mr Singh is seeking election from Rajgarh, Mr Nath had focussed on retaining Chhindwara for the party where his son Nakul is seeking re-election.
“The change of Congress leadership in Madhya Pradesh was long-awaited. Hence, we cannot call it ill-timed. This is BJP propaganda”, Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta said.
