The crafty Congress leader from Kerala had set out on his mission to press for his sole demand: holding of organisational elections in the State Congress (euphemism for removal of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, V. M. Sudheeran, his bête noire). The wily politician that he is, Chandy should have realized that AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi would not say yes to his early organizational elections demand as that could end in replacement of his nominee, V M Sudheeran.

Chandy who had earned the wrath of Rahul with his defiant stand in the matter of selection of candidates for the assembly elections, has been told, it seems, that early party polls is out of question. The reason: the High Command has more important issues to focus its attention on: the crucial Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which will have a vital bearing on the future of the Congress party. The Congress is right now in the thick of efforts to clinch an alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav faction of the Samajwadi Party to fight the UP poll battle. Therefore, the Gandhi scion has decided, and rightly so, that other issues like the Kerala problems can wait.

If his Delhi mission has ended in fiasco, Chandy has none but himself to blame. After all, he had committed the cardinal sin: defiance of the High Command. And history is replete with innumerable instances of Congress dissidents being marginalized for defying the High Command.

Chandy added fuel to the High Command’s anger by playing the lone ranger in State Congress politics. His tactics of staying away from party programmes – he was conspicuous by his absence at the convention Congress called in the national capital against demonetization, for instance - has not been to the liking of the High Command. His refusal to attend the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting convened by the KPCC president further enraged the High Command. This being the ground reality, his mission Delhi was foredoomed to failure.

That Chandy has buckled in the face of the tough High Command stance is clear from his meek readiness to attend the next meeting of the Political Affairs Committee. It is clear that his failure to attend the recently held PAC meet due to personal reasons has refused to convince the central leadership. Hence the order to be present at the next PAC meet. And Chandy had no option but to say a reluctant yes to the High Command diktat.

Obviously, the High Command’s decision to act tough also stemmed from the all,-round condemnation of Chandy’s boycott of the PAC meet. Leaders cutting across group affiliations had frowned upon Chandy’s absence at the PAC meeting. This act of indiscretion had sent wrong signals; the allies like the IUML were also unhappy over Chandy’s isolationist tactics. The IUML even went to the extent of sounding a stern warning to the Congress. If that party refuses to mend its erratic ways, the IUML will be forced to look for other options. That was the clear signal from IUML strongman P. K. Kunhalikkutty.

For form’s sake, Oommen Chandy is on record that he is pleased with his meeting with Rahul Gandhi! That he avoided questions on his attendance at future PAC meetings gives the game away. All that he would say is this: now the High Command will take a decision!

In retrospect, one thing can be said without fear of contradiction. The Congress leadership has refused to play ball with him on the issue of organizational polls. That way, Chandy’s long-term game-plan of capturing the party through the organizational elections has come a cropper, at least for the time being. Reports have it that Chandy is confident of winning the party polls in view of his hold on over 60 per cent of the Congress cadres – a claim which is to be tested on the ground in the light of the changed fortunes of the party in the state and his own waning influence.

That Chandy’s discomfiture is the delight of his detractors in the party goes without saying. They may not say so in public. But a few I group leaders and leaders close to the KPCC president heave a sigh of relief. At least in the short-term, Chandy’s tactics to regain lost ground seem to have failed. The beneficiaries, of course, are KPCC chief V M Sudheeran, Rahul Gandhi’s blue-eyed boy and leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, who has an eye on the CM’s post. (IPA Service)