If the defeat in the 2023 assembly elections was a crushing blow to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, its political standing hit rockbottom a year later in the Lok Sabha elections when it conceded Chhindwara, its last bastion in the state, to the BJP. But the party is now showing signs of revival, thanks to the efforts of Jitendra Patwari, who took over as state party president about a year ago. It registered an impressive victory in the assembly bypolls in Vijaypur in November, and put up an unexpected fight in Budhni, the home turf of senior BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
A senior Congress leader said the victory in Vijaypur was crucial for the party. “It has provided us a guiding example for upcoming challenges, and will act as a unifying force for the new organisational framework,” he said.
Factionalism has long been the bane of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, as it repeatedly failed to come up with the goods in the assembly elections. The party came to power in 2018 under Kamal Nath, but his government collapsed after Jyotiraditya Scindia and his loyalists left the party in 2020.
When Patwari took charge in December 2023, the Congress was vertically split between the factions led by Kamal Nath and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh. Their loyalists occupied key positions and they paid no heed to the central leadership. The high command, however, struck back after the fiasco in the Lok Sabha elections and sidelined both leaders. Patwari’s appointment further diminished their influence.
As Patwari challenged the status quo, there was discontent among certain leaders, and they complained to the high command that his approach lacked inclusivity. But Rahul Gandhi firmly backed him, sending a strong message that everyone must align to the new president’s methods.
It is, however, no cakewalk for Patwari. He faces resistance from the leader of the opposition Umang Singhar, Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel and former minister Arun Yadav. “While there is a power struggle, none of these leaders commands enough influence to disrupt the party’s functioning,” said a political analyst. “Patwari has been in politics for around two decades and he knows how to run the organisation.”
And Patwari is working hard on it. “He has already visited more than 200 assembly constituencies,” said Congress spokesperson Mithun Singh Ahirwar. “Every second day he is on the road and meeting workers.”
Patwari has identified three reasons for the Congress repeatedly losing elections. “We make our mind just one year before the assembly elections to contest and then start the election work just six months before the elections. The primary deficiency is that we haven’t been there on ground full time,” he said.
Secondly, he said, the party had failed to effectively manage ideological discourse at the grassroots, resulting in a significant decline in ideological outreach. “Thirdly, we have to strengthen the organisational structure and make it robust by clearly defining responsibilities and ensuring accountability through proper monitoring,” he said.
The state Congress has begun working on making its feedback system more effective. Under the plan, leaders have to submit bimonthly performance reports to the state in-charge on the functioning of office bearers. These reports will then be forwarded to the state unit president for review and necessary action. The party is also working on strengthening its structure at the panchayat level and organise it through mohalla committees. A comprehensive revamp of all frontal organisations is also under way.
“Patwari is trying to take everyone along with him, and that is gradually improving his acceptability among all factions within the state unit,” said political observer Deepak Tiwari. “The biggest advantage is that he is hardworking.”
With the Congress’s central leadership focusing on dalit voters, the state unit is planning to amplify its dalit outreach. Dalits constitute around 16 per cent of the state’s population. The party is also taking up issues concerning tribals, who constitute 21 per cent of the population. The objective is to build political momentum in different collective groups by mobilising public opinion.
A big test for Patwari, who is popular among young voters thanks to his earlier stint as state president of the Youth Congress, would be the Rajya Sabha elections next year. The Congress is vulnerable to cross-voting, as many senior leaders are eyeing the Rajya Sabha seat that will be vacated by Digvijaya Singh. They may attempt to sway legislators in their favour. Patwari will have to tackle this and show that he is in control.