New Delhi (02.05.2024): The Delhi Congress is facing worst-ever crisis of the recent times. The party is on fringe and is playing second fiddle in the city ever since Arwind Kejriwal threw his hat in the Delhi politics in 2013. But the recent flash point is due to the denial of Lok Sabha tickets to Sandeep Dikshit, Arvinder Singh Lovely and SC leader and former Delhi minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.
These leaders are well known faces of the Congress and established leaders of the Delhi politics. They have the capacity to lead the party and have enough acumen to navigate in troubled water that Delhi politics is today where despite the fact that AAP has eaten into Congress’ votes, the party fell into its lap. The denial of tickets to Dikshit, Lovely and Raj Kumar Chouhan has led to strong resentment and culminated into the resignation of state Congress President Lovely who is strong face of the party and is capable of galvanising the party which is facing distraught situation. Interestingly, people are not happy with Congress’ decision of fielding Kanhaiya Kumar from North-East Delhi and Udit Raj from reserve seat of Delhi. Dalits in Delhi are Sanskritised and will not vote for any such leaders who has disrespect for Hindu gods and goddess. Kanhaiya Kumar’s image is also not fit to be made a candidate in Delhi.
Lovely has resigned and former MLA Devendra Yadav has been appointed as working President. Now, Lovely is being targeted as not being loyal to the Congress. No leader in Delhi Congress is capable of boosting the prospect of the party in a thud. So, appointing the new Congress President Devendra Yadav may be a good move for party high command but discouraging others like Lovely, Dikshit and Chauhan is certainly putting your foot on the axe. Only a united Congress can be a good force to reckon with when it is tattered all across.
Encouraging a section of the Congress led by new working President Yadav may prove to be detrimental to the interest of the party which is fraught with situation that its ally Aam Admi Party can cause further damage to the grand old party despite being a partner in Delhi. AAP has its huge ‘Bijli Maaf, Paani Half and free DTC ride to women’ support base even in the absence of its top leader Arwind Kejriwal. The Congress has zero advantage. So why to encourage dissent and decimate the established leaders when there is little hope of revival of the Congress any time soon.
The Delhi Congress has around eight per cent vote share. A unified face comprising all Delhi stalwarts may augment the vote share up to twenty per cent or even more and it can bring respectability to the Congress. A divided house will mar the future of the Delhi Congress. So, why to indulge in decimating the stalwarts like Lovely, Dikshit and Chouhan? Is it possible to get a new face to revive Congress in near future by rejecting these heavy weights, perhaps not.
