There is no denying that Chandy’s exit has left a big void difficult to fill. He was a leader with excellent qualities of head and heart. Chandy proved, through his life, how a politician should perform. A politician who shows sincerity, compassion and commitment to service of the people will live forever in their hearts. The massive crowds which thronged the route his cortege took to his final resting place testified to that.

Congress faced a similar crisis when K Karunakaran passed away. But Karunakaran had nurtured a second generation leadership, especially leaders like Oommen Chandy. The effortless ease with which Chandy stepped into Karunakaran’s shoes took every one by surprise.

But the sad truth is, there is no one who can replace Oommen Chandy, the politician par excellence. Veteran Congress leader A K Antony hit the nail on the head when he said that if anybody can be equated with Oommen Chandy, it is Oommen Chandy only. Kunjunju, as Chandy is affectionately known among his followers and near and dear ones, drew his oxygen from his mass contacts. He literally lived among the people. A leader who was accessible to one and all. He helped people cutting across the political spectrum. His motto: service to the people. And that is a lesson politicians of all persuasions should learn from his eventful life.

Let us now have a close look at the post-Chandy portents for the Congress in Kerala. The outlook is grim indeed. Chandy was one leader who had a solution to the myriad problems the Congress faced in the State. A crisis manager of the first order. That sage advice will no more be there. And the party will be poorer for that.

The immediate fallout of his exit from the scene will be the weakening if not disintegration of the powerful ‘A’ group which he sedulously fostered and nurtured. The members of the rudderless group will have no option but to seek refuge in other factions operating in the party. The simple reason is: there is no leader who can sustain the A group in Cbahdy’s absence. True, he has staunch loyalists like Benny Behnan, KC Joseph, T. Siddique and K. Babu. But none of them have Chandy’scalibre and stature to keep the A group going. A big section may gravitate towards the I group headed by Ramesh Chennithala. And other A group leaders may hitch their stars to the K.C. Venugopal-K. Sudhakaran-VD Satheesan bandwagon, which is the new power centre in the party’s Kerala unit.

His passing away would also occasion a by-election from Puthupally, a constituency which he nurtured for 53 years. The by-election will have to be held within six months. Congress leaders and cadres think a sympathy wave will ensure the victory of the party candidate in the by-poll. But it won’t be easy. Remember, in the last assembly election, Chandy won by a slender majority of 7,000 odd votes, a margin embarrassingly low for a leader of his standing, who always won from Puthupally by margins in the 40,000-50,000 range. If the Left Democratic Front(LDF) manages to field a candidate with impeccable credentials, Puthupally may witness an upset victory.

What does the future hold for the Congress party in the State? The party must concentrate on the job of rebuilding the organization. For that to happen, it must say a final goodbye to internecine group wars. The cadres and leaders will have to inherit the laudable legacy Chandy has left behind and enriched by his life and service to the people. That way – and that way alone – lies the party’s salvation in a State where the Congress is still a force to reckon with and where it can stage a political comeback to power. Will the party rise to the occasion? Time alone can tell. (IPA Service)