Rajasthan casts a long shadow on Congress's efforts to retrieve ground in Haryana

Congress has made a special bid to curb infighting and factionalism in Haryana.

In Indian politics, intra-party equations often play a critical role in shaping campaign cohesion and electoral outcomes. As the final phase of Haryana elections arrives, the Congress has made a special bid to curb infighting and factionalism in the state unit through three central observers- former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, party treasurer Ajay Maken and Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa.

This key assignment marks a comeback to active politics for Gehlot, who was incapacitated for three months due to some spinal issues.

Ironically, however, the Congress has a challenge in getting its central observers to pull together to ensure that the state unit, in turn, functions coherently. Congress in Haryana is labouring under the Rajasthan syndrome in more ways than one.

First, there’s the Rajasthan origin bitterness between Gehlot and Maken. And second, there’s speculation that the Bhupinder Singh Hooda faction in Haryana Congress has taken a leaf out the Gehlot playbook to make sure that it’s indispensable in the event of victory in the election.

Rajasthan backstory

Friction between Gehlot and Maken arose when the latter was the Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan when the Congress government in the state was rocked by Sachin Pilot’s rebellion in 2020.

Sending Maken to Rajasthan was a part of the truce effected by the central leadership and agreed between the Pilot-Gehlot camps. But from the very start, Gehlot faction doubted Maken’s neutrality. It led to Gehlot not acting on Maken proposals to accommodate Pilot’s demands. With his prestige nosediving, Maken’s relation with Gehlot kept souring.

In the summer of 2022, a Rajya Sabha berth from Rajasthan became a major bone of contention between the two leaders. Congress corridors were abuzz that Maken was keen to contest from Rajasthan, as it was safer than Haryana, in the RS polls. But it was reportedly on Gehlot’s insistence that Haryana leader Randeep Surjewala was made the candidate in Rajasthan instead of Maken. Consequently, Maken contested from Haryana and lost, further embittering his equation with Gehlot.

Checkmating the high command

In early September 2022, Congress leadership indicated that Gehlot was their preferred choice to be national Congress President for which elections were around the corner. Though Gehlot wanted to play the double role of Congress chief as also CM, Rahul Gandhi snubbed him, asserting that the party would stand by its ‘one person, one post’ principle. With a big buzz erupting that the Congress top brass wanted Gehlot as party chief to make him vacate the CM-ship for his arch rival, Sachin Pilot’s take over as CM seemed imminent.

A huge crisis erupted in Rajasthan on 25 September 2022 as Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge came to Jaipur as AICC Observers for a CLP meeting. But in an unprecedented move, over 80 MLAs of the Gehlot faction boycotted that meeting to prevent Pilot being made CM. Instead, they attended a parallel meet at minister Shanti Dhariwal's home and even went to Speaker CP Joshi's residence to submit their resignations. With Gehlot loyalists revolting, the CLP meet was not held and Maken-Kharge could not get the one-line resolution passed which would have authorised the high command to pick Gehlot’s successor.

Despite exposing the powerlessness of the party’s top brass, with Rajasthan being the only major state where the Congress was then ruling, the High Command ultimately decided not to precipitate matters.

How Rajasthan’s Congress politics spills over to Haryana

Besides their hostility in Rajasthan, Gehlot and Maken have also had contrasting experiences in Haryana. Gehlot has good equations with the major factions led by former CM Hooda, Randeep Surejwala and Kumari Selja. Also, Gehlot was an observer when Hooda first became Haryana CM.

In sharp contrast, Maken suffered defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls two years ago due to factionalism in the Haryana unit.

Now the big question is can a duo with a long history of bitterness and an obvious lack of trust effect a positive vibe for the Congress in Haryana?

The jury is out on that one but if they can put their bitter past behind them, both leaders bring a lot to the table. While Gehlot is a three-time CM and an OBC leader with strong grassroots connect, Maken is not only the national treasurer of the Congress but also an integral part of ‘Team Rahul Gandhi’ within the AICC.

Given their deep discord, how this fractious pair will pull together is one of the tantalising imponderables of the Haryana battle. In an increasingly topsy-turvy political landscape, Congress’s strategy under the Gehlot-Maken-Bajwa trio will be closely watched as Haryana heads toward a high-stakes election.