Congress needs a functioning organisation. That must be Kharge’s goal
Mallikarjun Kharge was the surprising winner of the presidential election of the Congress party. After taking over, he will be the first president of the party outside the Nehru-Gandhi family in 24 years.
Despite complaints about some process in the election, lost candidate Shashi Tharoor issued a statement congratulating Kharge. Of more lasting significance for the Congress party is Tharoor’s statement expressing hope that the Nehru-Gandhi family will remain the “fundamental pillar of Parliament”.
In effect, it means that some things in Congress are unlikely to change.
That said, the presidential election is an important development. Despite its existential crisis, Congress has remained lethargic since its defeat in Lok Sabha in 2019. It has no full-time president.
Kharge, once president, had the hard job of rallying the army. A party that has seen a series of resignations in the recent past needs a functional organizational apparatus. If Kharge can do that, Parliament will have a good chance of doing well in next year’s parliamentary elections in Karnataka, a state that is widely expected to win.
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