These are exciting times for the grand old party. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of organisation (GSO), KC Venugopal, has reportedly requested Rahul Gandhi to assign him "mission Kerala" and relieve him of the 'GSO responsibilities' he has been holding since 2019. While a question mark hangs over whether Venugopal, aka KCV, would be projected as a chief ministerial candidate for the May 2026 polls, there is a near unanimity that it is curtains down for him as GSO. The million-dollar question is who would replace KCV as the next GSO.
The Congress is undergoing a big churn that may see a meatier and bigger role for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Grand Old Party is, supposedly, a big believer in celestial movements. In such a scheme of things, Congress insiders claim nothing would move till January 14, when the ongoing 'inauspicious' period of 'malmas' would end, and, in astrological terms, astral directions would become more conducive. Apparently, a letter appointing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as head of the AICC's election management department has been ready for weeks now. Whether that letter would be junked now and a new assignment would be given to Priyanka remains to be seen.
Broadly, there are many contenders to replace Venugopal. A powerful lobby of party leaders known as 'Jai Jagat Groupies' is eyeing the coveted post. The cluster consists of leaders known for their left-of-centre, social justice-oriented leanings. It includes leaders such as Sashikant Senthil, Sachin Rao, Meenakshi Natrajan, Krishna Allavaru and Bhunwar Jitendra Singh, who are all hoping to be in the Rajya Sabha soon and like to sign off as "Jai Jagat" in all modes of in-house communications. However, most traditional Congress leaders resent the rise of this clique, resulting in veterans such as Ashok Gehlot, Ajay Makan and Digvijaya Singh throwing their hats in the ring too. However, a Gehlot or a Digvijaya becoming the GSO is unlikely, even more so after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) move to appoint a 45-year-old Nitin Nabin as their working president. The Congress leadership, that is, the three Gandhis - Rahul, Sonia, Priyanka - and AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge are under pressure to infuse fresh blood and bring in a younger leader as GSO.
These internal rumblings have brought the spotlight on Sachin Pilot, currently the AICC general secretary looking after Chhattisgarh. In Pilot's scheme of things, the office of the president of the Rajasthan Congress is a top priority, where incumbent Govind Singh Dotasra has already served for five and a half years, since July 2020. Sources say if the Gandhis insist upon Pilot to take up the GSO post, he will have little or no option but to accept it. Given Pilot's greater popularity among partymen cutting across regional, caste and gender considerations, his elevation as GSO would perhaps also bring some sharpness to the AICC secretariat.
Pilot also enjoys close proximity to Priyanka. A large section of party leaders feels a troika of Rahul, Priyanka and Sachin Pilot could be a huge leg-up for the Congress ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
As for Priyanka, she has always maintained that she would do anything to help her older brother. Her entire politics revolves around making Rahul a success. In fact, she always addresses him as "my leader", recognising his leadership.
The Congress has a rich history of family members working as a "pair". When Priyanka formally joined politics in 2019, it was not the first time that two family members of the Nehru-Gandhi family held high posts together. In 1959, Indira became the Congress president - much to the surprise of many in the party - when her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was Prime Minister. Nehru's detractors had viewed the development as his bid to push Indira into the coveted post. But a large section of Congressmen of that era also felt that Indira earned that post through merit. They had enough reason to believe that, after all. As AICC chief, Indira tackled the Kerala crisis deftly; she was also the one who recommended the creation of Maharashtra and Gujarat to quell linguistic tensions there. When her term ended in 1960, the Congress Working Committee tried hard to convince her to re-run for the post, but she turned down that request firmly.
In India's 79-year-old post-independence history, the Gandhis have led the Congress for 59 years. Congressmen of all hues and shades look up to them as the obvious choice to lead the party, and, in return, expect electoral success and power. From Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira, Rajiv and Sonia, no Gandhi member has abruptly opted out of politics. Rahul, and now Priyanka, also carry that same responsibility today.
(Rasheed Kidwai is an author, columnist and conversation curator)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
