Cong needs total overhaul in Kerala
The ruling Left Front's victory in Kerala wasn't a surprise but the opposition's abject surrender surely was. The manner of defeat means this election outcome will be more than a lingering pain for both the Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA.
While one was confident of returning to power, the other was all prepared to celebrate making decisive gains in the Kerala political space. Neither happened. The BJP will have to now start from scratch, having lost even the lone seat it won in 2016 and suffered considerable erosion in its vote share, and the path to revival will be extremely arduous for the Congress as well.
The loss has laid bare the Congress' inherent weaknesses and pushed it to a state where it is now fighting for survival. That the Congress leadership has failed to deliver is evident, but the way forward too looks bleak if the current state of affairs is allowed to continue.
The Congress must look within and prepare for nothing short of a complete overhaul and a generational shift in leadership if it wants to remain fighting fit when the next battle arrives.
Given how groupism, infighting and a lack of cohesiveness rendered the party incapable of posing a credible challenge to a determined ruling front, it must look beyond the established groups and leaders to keep itself politically relevant in the days to come.
How the top leadership is hanging on to positions of power, and even closing ranks to protect each other, despite the dismal electoral performance shows how little has changed in the party. While there is talk of replacing Mullappally Ramachandran as president of the Kerala unit, others too must make way for the new leadership to emerge.
Those thriving on factionalism should be shown the door, to be promptly replaced by people who neither care for groups nor feel the necessity to pay obeisance to the old guards in the party. It's time groupism is consigned to the bin and capable leaders are identified from among the ranks to take over the reins.
The role of the central leadership is critical in this as decisions at this crucial phase cannot be left to the state unit alone.