It is a welcome move and a bold one at that. But the big question is: Can it really do it given the ground reality?

And, what is the ground reality? The harsh truth is that Congress candidates have always been selected on the basis of group calculations. The two dominant groups in the party, the A group headed by former chief minister Oommen Chandy and the I group led by leader of the opposition, Ramesh Chennithala,, have so far had their say in the matter of candidate selection.

It is also an undeniable reality – however unpleasant it is – that all previous attempts to end groupism have come to grief. In recent years, senior leader V Sudheeran made a determined attempt to tame the groups, of course, with the full support of the party high command. But the attempt came to nought. The present incumbent, Mullappally Ramachandran also had a go it, but to no avail. This being the reality, how will the party succeed in its latest attempt? That will be the question uppermost in the minds of Congress leaders and workers.

But, if the party wants to win the Assembly elections due in May next year, it will have to bite the bullet. That is, take the groupism bull by the horns.

It is, however, not clear how the party will go about the ticklish task. But, then, as the saying goes, all battles are first won in the mind. If there is a will, there is a way. All Congress leaders and workers who want the party and the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) – it is now a Front in Utter Disarray, say critics both from within the party and outside – to win, are hoping against hope, that this time around the Mission will meet with success.

The task ahead is daunting, to say the least. Will the Chandy-Chennithala duo remain mere spectators when the end-groupism operation is undertaken? If the track record is anything to go by, they will not.

One thing, however, is for sure. If the party leadership, once again, shies away from the difficult task, there will be a revolt from within. And it will, in all probability, led by the youth and student wings. The youngsters are no more in a mood to yield to the diktat of the dominant groups.

In support of their case, they argue that the spectacular success the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front (LDF) achieved in the local body elections was due, to a great extent, to selection of youngsters and fresh faces. The Congress, they say, has no option but to adopt that strategy if it wants to wrest power in the crucial Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the party high command seems to have ruled out an immediate change in the leadership of the Kerala unit. The High Command in its wisdom seems to have veered round to the view that the need of the hour is not change of guard but a collective effort. It has named three, instead of the usual one, AICC general secretaries to put the Kerala house in order. (IPA Service)