Rahul Gandhi's fresh assurances on candidate selection: old wine in old bottle

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's assertion that merit, hard work, and feedback from the grassroots will be the deciding factors for candidate selection is something he has stated multiple times in the past but never implemented.

In fact, this was the main theme of his first speech after taking over as the Congress vice-president at Jaipur in January 2013.

He raised the issue of anomalies in ticket distribution in Congress, saying leaders from other parties parachute in just before the elections and fly away after getting defeated.

Gandhi further resolved to give block, district, and state units a greater say in candidate selection. He also stated that “paratroopers, rebels, discards, and outsiders” will not be accommodated in the organisation or given party tickets.

Gandhi had also maintained that no person with a criminal background would be given a party ticket.

One of the resolutions passed in that 'Chintan shivir (brainstorming session)' in Jaipur too called for a three-year cooling period for new entrants.

These norms, however, have been repeatedly violated in every election since then in the garb of the ‘winnability' factor, which ultimately becomes the sole criterion for the selection of candidates.

In the very first election in Karnataka after Gandhi's anointment as the Congress vice-president, all his guidelines went for a toss.

Gandhi reiterated his resolve at the party’s 84th plenary session in Delhi in 2018 after taking over as the Congress president in December 2017, insisting that preference would be given to loyalists over paratroopers during ticket distribution.

Again, this commitment remained unfulfilled and on the contrary, the so-called paratroopers continued to get preference overlooking the claims of die-hard loyalists.

With his previous assertions falling flat, Gandhi on Saturday once again tried to send a strong message to the party cadre.

Addressing the extended Executive Committee meeting of the Telangana Congress, he emphasised that the aspirants will have to leave Hyderabad and move to their constituencies to be considered for selection.

"Tickets will be given on the basis of merit. Nobody should be under any illusion. Those who work and remain among the people, fight for farmers, workers, petty traders, and youth will get tickets," Gandhi said.

"Our party is one family. There should not be any discrimination. You will be rewarded for your work. No matter how senior a leader you are and no matter how many years you have spent in the party, if you don't work, you won't get the ticket," he added.

The former Congress President went on to say that "If you sit in Hyderabad you will not get a ticket. Don't come to Delhi, it backfires. Go to constituencies and villages, take to streets, and work. I know you get good biryani and chai in Hyderabad but you will have to go to villages to be with the people."

Having said that, these assertions will be put to test in the upcoming assembly elections first in Gujarat and Himachal and then in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.