Digvijay Singh’s call for decentralisation: How power remains concentrated at the top in Congress

The discourse around the Congress party’s organisational weakness resurfaces frequently. Last week, just ahead of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on December 27, Congress veteran and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh stirred a storm by tweeting a photograph of BJP leaders, saying how saffron party workers like Narendra Modi went on to become prime minister and chief minister, calling it the power of organisation. It was a clear message to the Congress central leadership to take note of the party’s declining organisational strength.

At the centre of the party’s organisational decline is what many see as the concentration of power at the top, where most decisions are taken, or at least heavily influenced. This has gradually slowed down the party's decision making process at state level impacting the grassroots performance of the party. The state leaders often wait for the instructions from high command on important issues and thereby reducing operational clarity.

For many leaders, Bihar election was a stark example of Congress failure to ensure balance in its political activities during the recently held assembly elections. Its management was projected to be well-coordinated and high command driven. Yet the Congress was unable to contain factionalism and intra-party disruptions as many of its leaders refused to work for the party in the final phase of elections.

Apart from appreciating Rahul Gandhi on socio-economic issues, Digvijay Singh wrote on X: “We need more pragmatic, decentralised functioning. I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. The only problem is that it is not easy to ‘convince’ you!!”

At present, most election-related and organisational responsibilities are handled by organisational general secretary KC Venugopal and other general secretaries in charge of states. Many Congress leaders argue that decentralisation is needed, where the responsibility of managing elections is distributed to a separate set of people whose sole mandate would be election affairs, while those holding organisational positions can focus on strengthening the party structure.

Party insiders point out that the Congress Election Management Committee, discussed in the Udaipur Declaration of May 2022, was supposed to be set up subsequently. However, even as 2025 has passed, the committee is yet to be constituted. The declaration had specifically proposed the creation of a new AICC Election Management Department to ensure better preparedness during elections.

This was part of a broader organisational restructuring agenda aimed at strengthening the party’s electoral performance. If formed, the Congress Election Management Committee is seen as a powerful body within the party that could reduce the concentration of authority in the high command and bring greater clarity and focus to different organisational tasks.

The committee would handle material management for elections, exercise supervision over state screening committees, and play a decisive role in candidate selection after assessing factors such as caste and religious equations, popularity, campaign planning, and booth management. Most strategic decisions related to elections would fall under its ambit. With its exclusive focus on elections, the powers of those holding top organisational positions would realign, allowing them to concentrate on fixing the nuts and bolts of the organisation.

An AICC spokesperson said, “This committee will focus particularly on elections and make preparations even during the non-electioneering phase. At present, the organisational general secretary and state in-charges hold massive power to decide on their own. If this committee comes into being, it will not only decentralise power but also bring more systemic clarity in addressing organisational issues.”