With poll predictions and recent Assembly elections signalling bad tidings, the Congress leadership seems to be veering towards the view that party Vice President Rahul Gandhi should not be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi may be entrusted with the responsibility of running the party’s campaign and selection of candidates, without formally being projected as the Congress’s PM candidate.

A day before the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is to meet in the Capital, multiple rounds of deliberations among top leaders reflected deep divisions in the party over the issue. Different views emerged towards the evening even as the clamour grew to announce his candidature. At least two ministers publicly exhorted Gandhi to lead from the front.

“Whether he (Gandhi) accepts or not, he is our PM candidate. He will certainly accept. This is my opinion,” said Oscar Fernandes, Union Minister for Road Transport. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Power , echoed the sentiment: “I hope the party announces Rahul as PM choice for 2014 after the AICC session tomorrow.”

However, Rahul Gandhi, as well as Congress President Sonia Gandhi, did not seem to endorse this view. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), which met during the day, had apparently conveyed the popular sentiment in the party to the Congress President. But she, along with Rahul, is believed to have endorsed the conservative and cautionary view held by the more seasoned section, which takes into account the party’s bleak prospects in the upcoming poll. These leaders feel that the decision to project Rahul should not be taken in a hurry. They want the party to first finalise pre-poll alliances in various States and hold detailed discussions with existing allies before announcing the leader.

These differing views were learnt to have been aired during the detailed discussions in the CWC, which met here on Thursday, ahead of the general session of the AICC on Friday. The CWC also discussed a draft political resolution that will be presented at the AICC session.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony is to chair a committee on alliances. Some in the party feel that announcing Rahul as the PM candidate should be done only after considering the suggestions of this panel. The committee is yet to submit any report to the Congress leadership.

Younger leaders such as Scindia feel that fielding Rahul is the only way to deal with the personality-centric battle due to the BJP’s projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its PM candidate. Rahul himself is believed to be of the view that the Congress should first try to revamp the organisation through democratic means and instil confidence among the cadre. His believes the party should address the aspirations of young voters and an electorate politicised by the recent anti-corruption movement and the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party.

Senior leaders such as Digvijaya Singh have repeatedly advocated a ‘cautious approach’ with respect to Rahul’s positioning. This section believes that Rahul is a long-term player in politics and testing him during one of the toughest periods in the party’s history may not be a good idea either for him or for the party.

>jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in

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