(Image source from: Congress faces pan-India crisis ahead of Assembly elections})
The Congress party is gripped in a pan-India crisis as three states go into assembly polls later this year. Senior leaders in states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir are openly rebelling against the top bosses of Congress.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's leadership is being questioned ever since he led the party to a debacle winning only 44 seats in the general elections.
Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir will go into polls later this year. Ahead of the Assembly polls Congress is facing a massive rebellion which the party is finding difficult to handle.
Haryana
The assembly elections in Haryana are scheduled for later part of this year. Here Haryana Congress leader Birendra Singh has demanded the ouster of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. However, the Congress feels that a a last-minute change in leadership will not radically change the situation in Haryana. Reports suggest that Birender Singh and some other Congress leaders are in touch with BJP leaders. In fact Singh even sought an appointment with BJP president Amit Shah.
Maharashtra
Even Maharashtra will go into polls later this year. Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane has resigned on Monday as Maharashtra Industries minister. After resigning, Rane held a press conference and openly criticised his party, expressing frustration over the manner of functioning of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. The senior Congress leader also criticised the government over delays in public works. Fearing a Congress debacle in the upcoming Assembly polls Rane said that he doesn't want to be minister of a party that may lose the forthcoming Assembly election. Narayan Rane had been associated with the Shiv Sena for 39 years and had joined the Congress nine years ago. Maharashtra has 288 seats in its Assembly.
Jammu and Kashmir
Congress is faced with major setback in Jammu and Kashmir. First it was the National Conference (NC) which broke its alliance with the Congress. After that it had to deal with the resignation of Lal Singh, who is former state minister and a two-time MP of the Congress. Singh also alleged that senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has been interfering in the party's state unit. The split with NC and allegation of Singh have made it tough for the party in J&K. J&K has 87 Assembly seats.
Assam
In Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma resigned from office along with 31 MLAs. Sarma and his supporters want Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi to resign. He wants the tob job in the state for himself. However, the Gogoi government doesn't face any threat from him as he said that he would follow the whip in the Assembly. But the Congress high command has refused to comply with Sarma's demand. Even though Sarma and his supporters are in "constructive opposition", the Congress is in a crisis in Assam.
West Bengal
Three Congress leaders in West Bengal - Asit Mal, Mohammad Rabbani and Umapada Bauri – have joined the ruling Trinamool Congress. This has given a severe jolt to the Congress in Bengal. Asit Mal represents Hasan in Birbhum district, the chief whip of the Congress Legislature Party, Mohammad Ghulam Rabbani represents Goalpokhor in North Dinajpur district, while Umapada Bauri is the MP from Para in Purulia district.
As the Congress grapples with these crisis, the demand for bringing in Priyanka Gandhi has become louder. Several Congress leaders have suggested that only Priyanka Gandhi can match BJP president Amit Shah. Only time will tell whether Rahul Gandhi will resign or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead from the front.
(AW: Pratima Tigga)
