A guessing game has begun in the Congress whether the impending nominations of PCC presidents would see a generational change or merely influence by a political adjustment. But the insiders feel that a Muslim, a dalit and a woman PCC chief in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab could help the party in the coming electoral battles.
The Congress high command is expected to complete the exercise of PCC chief nominations either by November 2 or before December 20.
The Congress is optimistic of regaining lost ground in UP, Kerala and Punjab and would benefit by the alliance with the Trinamul Congress and the DMK in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
If insiders are to be believed, the leadership can even involve some of the Union ministers in rejuvenating PCCs in a new role. “They can handle the dual responsibilities comfortably,” a source said.
“In UP we need a Muslim PCC chief who can check the BSP and SP and in Maharashtra, a dalit could be better. Currently, both chief minister Ashok Chavan and PCC president Manikrao Thakre belong to the same caste,” they pointed out. In Punjab, the Congress has so far confined to Hinuds and urban and semi-urban areas. It has not been able to make inroads in villages and with the Jat Sikhs, they said.
Besides these states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat are three key states where the Congress has not been able to revive. “We have no choice but to replace incumbent PCC chief D. Srinivas in Andhra. In Karnataka, the Congress has not been able to emerge as a strong alternative to the BJP. This can be possible either by demolishing the BJP or the Janata Dal (Secular) led by H.D. Deve Gowda and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy,” they felt.
But in Gujarat, the Congress lacks a leader to take on chief minister Narendra Modi from the front.
The Congress has two Muslim PCC chiefs across the country. They are Mehboob Ali Kaiser (Bihar) and Saifuddin Soz (Jammu and Kashmir). But they are not influential in their own states due to various factors.
In Rajasthan, PCC chief C.P. Joshi is unlikely to get a second term being a Union minister but another Union minister, Mr G.K. Vasan, has emerged as a strong contender for the post of Tamil Nadu Congress chief.
The party sources said that the leadership should appoint a Marathi manoos to head the Mumbai regional Congress ahead of the BMC polls.