In an unexpected development, it has appointed former Union Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram as election observer for Goa to oversee all election strategies and coordinate for the 2022 Assembly elections. A senior politician, respected by the party, Chidambaram will brook no petty haggling from the party members in the State and his appointment will possibly succeed in bringing an end to overt dissidence in the State Congress that is spilling onto public view. With no two Congress functionaries in agreement on issues, the only hope is that the presence of a senior leader like Chidambaram will bring together the brawling factions before the elections.
Local party leaders – the Leader of the Opposition and the State unit chief in particular – have welcomed the appointment saying it will boost the party and will lead to a victory in the forthcoming elections. No Congress leader will dare state otherwise, for fear of charges of dissidence. Besides, with Chidambaram now holding the fortunes of the ticket seekers in his hands, who among the legion of aspiring candidates would risk displeasing him? Yet, more than the leaders, it is the ordinary worker of the party who will have the most to cheer about. For the former it will mean readjusting to a new Central leadership model, while for the latter it may actually result in invigorating a party that has been mainly in slumber.
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Yet, the resurgence of the party will not happen without a lot of hard work on the part of the new central election observer. Congress in Goa needs a huge booster shot from Chidambaram to emerge as a strong and credible alternative to the BJP, that can stake its claim to form a government. The first booster shot that this appointment brings is the indication that the All India Congress Committee is taking Goa seriously and looking to fight for a win. The party would not appoint a leader of such seniority unless they believed they had a chance of winning the State. The second is that his appointment could also mean that any possible pre-poll alliance with regional parties is now almost out of question.
Besides long experience in politics, as a former Finance Minister, Chidambaram will naturally be more at ease with facts and figures and may not be swayed by the emotional outbursts of the Congress leaders, when it comes to doling out party tickets for the elections. Histrionics of the type that were visible last week at the Congress function to admit a former MLA will not cut much ice with him. It could have the opposite effect of what the people may have hoped to achieve. He is known for his debating prowess, so he is unlikely to fall for theatrics. It is those Congressmen and Congresswomen able to bring valid points to the table for discussion who will find favour with the new party observer.
Chidambaram holds the aces and the trumps, it is how he deals the cards that will decide who the winner will be in the coming polls. He will have his task cut out for him. This is the first time that the senior party leader will be taking charge of the disparate Congress House in Goa and will require to thoroughly study the party situation in the State before making his first trip as observer to the State. He will be working on a tight schedule as he has a very short time for preparation, and even less for execution of the plans. If he is able to juggle this ably, it may just be possible that he gets the Congress battle ready for 2022.
