Its time for the intra-party battle in the Congress

The inter-party battle in the elections is over and now it is the time for intra-party battle--- a protracted one, for that matter, for the counting of the votes will be done at the end of the month. The battle is expected to be intense in the Congress and Ms Gandhi will have to prove her political acumen yet again to keep a firm hold over the various ambitious groups. This will be as tough as getting votes in the caste ridden Haryana polity.

This scenario, is of course, based on the predictions made by the different exit polls which spell a rout for the incumbent Indian National Lok Dal and clear victory for the Congress. And, even if they are proved wrong...which is always possible. (For, we all know what happened in the General elections just last year). We are also aware of the fact that the people of Haryana do not like to keep one party in power for too long. Anti-incumbency factor go as a rule in the state of Haryana, giving a chance to big men keep alternating power amongst themselves...So we have high hopes for Mr Bhajan Lal..but only if he manages to beat his competitors in the divided house of the Congress in Haryana.

But of course, a victory in Haryana will mean an added glow in the already existing aura around Ms Sonia Gandhi. Her expertise in reviving what everybody called a doomed party has been proved beyond doubt. But it is also clear that her ambitions do not rest there. She has high expectations, her strategies are proving to be excellent and the massive pro-Congress wave she has managed to create speaks volumes about the professional talent in the erstwhile 'firang bahu' of the Congress dynasty.

All said, the challenges before the Congress high command are immense. Though merging Mr Bansi Lal's Haryana Vikas Party in Congress has proved to be politically correct move as per the exit polls. It would prove to be extremely tough to keep the egos under check and put a reign over soaring ambitions.

For, there are at least a dozen potential chief ministerial candidates including Messrs Bhajan Lal, Surjewalal, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Birender Singh and Ms Selja Kumari. Successful management of the aspirants' ambitions will bode well for the Congress. But a failure to resolve the conflicting ambitions may doom the party to infighting and even losses in future elections.

If we examine the chances of the aspirants we see that the former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal is a crafty politician who will never allow anyone else to occupy that seat. Mr Hooda has been a successful Pradesh Congress president but it remains to be seen if he can outwit Mr Bhajan Lal. Ms Selja Kumari, on the other hand, has two advantages: She is a woman and a Dalit leader. Moreover, she is perceived to be close to Ms Gandhi. Mr Birender Singh is a Jat and can deliver the votes, but will also expect a reward, which was denied to him in 1991.Mr Surjewalal is young, articulate and part of the Congress's youth brigade, but he is still a neophyte and stands only an outside chance against the old guard. Besides, there could be several dark horses.

As for Bansi Lal he got what he wanted: tickets for his sons. He's for many in the Congress a spent force.