It is, however, learnt that the young PCC chief Arun Yadav has completed the first round of discussions with the Congress candidates who contested the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress had won 12 seats in 2009 polls but could retain only two this time. And for these two victories too, the credit can’t be given to the Congress. Both the seats – Chhindwara and Guna – were won by Kamalnath and Jyotiraditya Scindia due to their personal influence. The Congress lost more ground in comparison with the Vidhan Sabha polls held in November 2013. In the Vidhan Sabha polls, the Congress had won 58 seats but in the Lok Sabha, the Congress could get majority votes in only 35 Assembly segments.

Three or four days after the Lok Sabha results were announced, Arun Yadav, chief of Madhya Pradesh Congress and Satyadev Katare, leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha surprised the political circles by holding anti-incumbency as the main reason behind the humiliating defeat of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. When asked why there was so much anger against among the electorate against the UPA government, Yadav said corruption and spiralling prices of essential commodities were two palpable reasons for it. Speaking in an almost identical language, Satyadev Katare blamed the anger against the UPA government for party’s debacle. Katare went on to say that the Congress lost in the Vidhan Sabha polls due to the same reason. He further said that the downfall of the Congress-led government at the Centre began when the Congress failed to assess the impact of Anna Hazare movement properly and completely messed up in handling it. Thereafter, the central leaders mishandled all the issues - be it the Ramdev episode, 2G scam or coal scam or price rise. The issues were not only mishandled but the questions relating to those issues were met with arrogance and insensitivity. He further said that Commonwealth Games event was a big scam. He was of the view that strict action should have been taken in the 2G scam and coal scam. Katare also claimed that those scams were equally responsible for the Congress defeat in the Vidhan Sabha Poll. Thus both Yadav and Katare refused to take any blame for the near total rout of the Congress.

While the leaders put the blame on the doors of central leaders there are some leading Congressmen who hold a different view.

For instance, Govind Singh, a sitting MLA, who contested for the Lok Sabha blamed Jyotiraditya Scindia for his defeat. He publicly made this allegation. He has been asked to explain his conduct and has been told that by taking public stance he had violated the party discipline. Such accusations, charging partymen with sabotage, have been made by some more defeated Congressmen. PC Sharma, a prominent leader of Bhopal, who contested Lok Sabha election against his will, listed all-India factors as responsible for his defeat. He made an off the track comment when he admitted that unfortunately in the Congress, the candidate concerned and his loyal supporters fight the elections and the party as such is rarely involved in the campaign. Sharma contested from Bhopal, which is largely an employees’-dominated constituency.

In this context he stated that both central and state employees were against the UPA and they overwhelmingly voted for the BJP.

Till now, barring one, no effective step has been taken to revamp the party. The only significant and unique step has been taken by Opposition leader Satyadev Katare. Taking cue from the tradition prevailing in the British House of Commons, he has constituted a “shadow cabinet” and assigned “portfolios” to party colleagues. There is no doubt that this will facilitate better participation of the Opposition in House debates. But some party MLAs did not like this step and pulled up Katare for constituting a shadow cabinet. Two senior Congress MLAs, Arif Aqueel and Govind Singh, wanted to know under what rule of the Vidhan Sabha the shadow cabinet would function.

Though state leaders are blaming central leadership for the debacle there is no doubt that organisationally speaking, the MP Congress was in a bad shape. The state office of the party in Bhopal functions like a government office. There is no sense of dedication among the party personnel. Offices down the line, including the ones at district headquarters, remain non-functional. Office-bearers of the party are nominated. Elections are not held and some district bodies have not been even constituted.

In many cases, the district president has been nominated but he had to function without a team of office-bearers during the Lok Sabha polls. While referring to the Congress’ machinery, it is often said that the party was on ventilator support. (IPA Service)