Would Congress have two presidents in Mumbai?

It’s high time Congress should set the house in order ahead of Assembly elections in few states followed by the General Elections 2019. Maharashtra is one such state where Congress lost out heavily to BJP in the last general elections in 2014.

So much so that BJP gained more than 27 percent in votes in the state with 122 seats — still short of the magic figure of 145 — while Shiv Sena joining them with 63 seats to form the government. Congress was left tattering at 42 seats, which was a loss of 40 seats from the general election held in 2009.

So to revive the fortune for India’s oldest party, especially in Mumbai, the question that is hovering around is whether it can do so under the current leadership. Many seem to be of opinion that the party needs a Marathi face to take on the mighty BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. There have been claims within the party to have former union minister Milind Deora as the president of the city Congress while others want Sanjay Nirupam to continue.

Deora has already confirmed in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, that he can take up the Mumbai Congress president’s post only if party president Rahul Gandhi wants him to do so. Clamour for the change of leadership went louder when Mallikarjun Kharge (in charge of Maharashtra) visited Mumbai to address the party workers’ concerns and prepare for the elections.

Things still look hazy for now as there has been no communication with the party’s central leadership, but it may happen that Congress will have two presidents for the city unit keeping in the mind the chunk of Marathi votes that went to BJP’s coffers last time. It won’t be surprising to see Nirupam as the executive president while Deora may take the president’s post.

“One of the two – the president or executive president – will have to be a Marathi face. The Congress lacks a Marathi face, and we can’t go into the elections without one. So a Marathi, non-Marathi combination will have to be worked out,” an unnamed senior Congress leader was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

Now, with news of infighting in the party ranks have seen leaders getting divided in urging the 76-year-old Kharge to change the leadership by putting Deora on top instead of Nirupam, but it is learnt from sources that Nirupam still has the backing of the Gandhi family for his constant fight with the Devendra Fadnavis government in the last four years.

Whether the leadership will be divided between Nirupam or Deora or Deora would be able to lead the city Congress will be known in few days’ time.

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