In Himachal, despite Pratibha Singh’s demand, Sukhwinder Sukhu was elected as the Chief Minister, sending the message that it is the Gandhi family who makes the decisions. Also said that no one can put pressure on Delhi. (PTI)
The fact that the central leadership will take the final call, regardless of the reaction of the legislators, shows that the earlier formula–strong state but strong central leadership– will not be abandoned
When Congress chooses its Chief Minister, there is only one rule that there is no rule.
Think back to five years ago when both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were swept by the Congress, but the celebrations were overshadowed by the nagging question – “Who will be the Chief Minister?”
In Rajasthan, the issue was on the one hand Sachin Pilot who moved to Jaipur for four-and-a-half years when he was asked by Rahul Gandhi to ensure the party’s victory as he felt the youth should take charge. However, when the Congress won, there was less push for Pilot with Rahul Gandhi as the CM. They were told and assured that a veteran politician like Ashok Gehlot cannot be ignored in the 2019 elections as he alone would be able to ensure that the Grand Old Party wins Lok Sabha seats from the state.
Then there was Madhya Pradesh to deal with. Kamal Nath was seen as a Delhi leader who understood the Center but not the politics of the state. But as the state president, he had ensured the victory of the party. Some say the task was made easier by the fact that Digvijaya Singh preferred to call the shots from behind the scenes and not become the chief minister. Jyotiraditya Scindia was also not in the race. The Congress high command cut off other claimants as the state chief, saying that Nath had the first claim.
This rule was changed in Rajasthan. The state chief lost to Pilot Gehlot on the ground that the latter – known as the magician in political circles – had MLAs and was such a towering leader that he could not be ignored. Gehlot became the Chief Minister and Pilot was wooed by making him Deputy CM. He was also told that the head of state could not be made the chief minister as One Man, One Post was the party’s mantra – flouting this rule in MP.
A similar problem is raising its head in Chhattisgarh as well. Rahul Gandhi had moved to pick Bhupesh Baghel, who was the head of state, by quoting Reid Hoffman: “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a singles game, you’re always a team.” Will lose to.” Then the Congress had four contenders for the CM’s chair – Baghel, TS Singh Deo, Tamrajdas Sahu and Charan Das Mahant.
So what is common in all these cases? The fact is that it is not the MLA alone but the high command that decides the chief minister. It also ensures that the central leadership has control over state politics. After the death of YSR, the most powerful leader of the Congress and the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, top officials realized that without central control, state politics would falter.
The departure of a Chief Minister, even under unfortunate circumstances, should not leave the party in despair. It was then that a tacit agreement was reached that the Delhi brass should decide the chief minister so that whoever is elected would show gratitude to the central leadership.
It doesn’t always work it has been shown in Punjab and Rajasthan.
The similarity between Rajasthan and Karnataka cannot be forgotten. As it happens in the desert state, there is a strong possibility that Siddaramaiah, as an experienced leader with the support of a large number of MLAs and experience, cannot be ignored. Similarly, aggressive trouble-shooter DK Shivakumar, who built the organization and remained loyal to the party despite being arrested, will be hoping this is the time to make a comeback.
The fact that the central leadership will take the final call, regardless of the reaction of the legislators, shows that the earlier formula – a strong state but strong central leadership – will not be abandoned. In Himachal, Sukhwinder Sukhu was chosen despite Pratibha Singh’s open demand that he should be the chief minister, sending the message that it was the Gandhi family’s decision. Also said that no one can put pressure on Delhi.
This rule will once again apply in Karnataka’s final decision on the Chief Minister.
