VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, March 10: Call it a coincidence or irony, Avinash Pande whom Congress chief Sonia Gandhi sent to Jharkhand to strengthen the party, is held responsible for the rout of the Congress in Uttarakhand. Among five states where results were declared on March 10, Uttarakhand was the only state in which the Congress was confident to win. The Congress was confident to wrest Uttarakhand from the BJP. But it lost the election so badly that its chief ministerial aspirant and veteran Harish Rawat lost from Lalkuwa by over 13,000 votes.
Avinash Pande was chairperson of the screening committee of Uttarakhand Congress who had finalized candidates. He was accompanied by Dr. Ajoy Kumar who was a member of that screening committee.
Pande took charge as the in-charge of Jharkhand Congress after the exit of RPN Singh from the party. Right after taking charge of Jharkhand affairs, he organized three days Chintan Shivir besides a series of programmes to recalibrate the Congress in Jharkhand. The Congress which is an alliance partner in the Hemant Soren-led JMM-Congress-RJD had turned assertive towards the JMM and the government.
Not only Avinash Pande and Dr Ajoy Kumar, another important leader of the Congress from Jharkhand — Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey— was also involved in the election in Uttarakhand. On June 3, last year she was appointed as co-in-charge of Uttarakhand. She spent her maximum time in Uttarakhand to strengthen the local party organization, holding rallies, roadshows, demonstrations, and other organizational programmes. She was hardly seen in Jharkhand since she was apparently made in-charge of such assembly seats where the position of the Congress was very weak and her regular presence was required. However, her organizational skills were noticed and appreciated but collectively these could not help the party.
Leaders and workers of the Congress in Jharkhand have now turned suspicious whether Avinash Pande will be able to revive the Congress in Jharkhand.
“He was chairperson of the screening committee. He should explain the reasons for the rout of the Congress. Despite anti-incumbency against the BJP government the Congress lost. Harish Rawat lost the election. Avinash Pande should explain why his seat was changed,” said a leader.
There is a sense of deep disappointment towards the leadership. In Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was personally leading the campaign with an attractive signature tune ladki hun lad sakti hun.
If Rahul Gandhi delivered a dud, Priyanka Gandhi could also not emerge as a humdinger to revive the fate of Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Her poll music fell on the dead ears of pollsters.
Priyanka Gandhi was the Congress’ trump card and she was launched in the Uttar Pradesh poll with much fanfare after repeated experiments with Rahul Gandhi failed. In Goa, it looks very tough for the Congress to unseat the BJP. Manipur has slammed its door upon the Congress. Manipur is going to be a formidable bastion of the BJP. The Congress has lost Punjab which it had won in 2017.
“Now the Congress has a government in only two states namely Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Electorally we are shrinking. We have erred everywhere but the leadership is not realizing. Priyanka Gandhi could not do anything. We were winning Uttarakhand but we lost. We even lost Punjab,” said a leader.
