THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 17: The Congress in Jharkhand gambled hard when it replaced its state president, Rajesh Thakur, with Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, an OBC leader.
The replacement of the Congress state president, some months ahead of the assembly election, is a move to garner OBC votes for which an OBC face in Keshav Mahto Kamlesh has been projected.
The crowd-pulling capacity of Thakur in question
The replacement has created less stir in the Congress party while its arch-rival party, the BJP, is closely monitoring this move and its electoral profit and loss for itself.
There was a sustained campaign against Rajesh Thakur. From the former to the present, great energy was spent by the Congressmen to replace Thakur.
Rajesh Thakur was projected as one from Bihar which is itself ridiculous. Again he was projected as a poor crowd-puller.
A senior Congressman refusing to be identified said Rajesh Thakur has no crowd-pulling capacity nor has he any leadership to win the mighty OBCs and other electorates.
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What did Rajesh Thakur say?
This correspondent today spoke to Rajesh Thakur to know as to what so happened that he got unseated before the coming assembly election.
Thakur was cool and calm. He had no tone of complaint either. He sounded as if it were all a political necessity which was indispensable.
On being prodded, Thakur said, “It’s an OBC issue. Our party takes along with it all sects.”
He said, “I know many people who used to go to AICC in Delhi had just one point agenda. An adverse narrative was always set against me there.”
Although Thakur has been dropped as state president, K C Venugopal’s letter reads the party ‘appreciates the contributions of the outgoing PCC president Shri Rajesh Thakur’. It’s no ordinary line for a man who is so unceremoniously sidelined.
OBCs and Kurmi votes
The OBCs are a hot political cake in Jharkhand. Sudesh Mahto is there. There has emerged a firebrand youth of this community, Jairam Mahto, too.
Now, the Congress has put up an OBC leader at the top of the party here in Jharkhand. So, everyone is planning to have a major chunk of the Kurmi votes.
The Congress is a late entrant.
It’s too premature at this stage to predict the induction of an OBC as state president will catapult the Congress to a new electoral height.
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Congress’ all-weather man Kamlesh
Keshav Mahto Kamlesh is a dedicated Congressman. He had been an MLA from Silli. He was a minister, too, in the undivided Bihar.
There were occasions when the big and mighty Congressmen left the party at such a time the Congress needed them most, Keshav remained with the Congress like a rock, said another senior party man.
The journey to assembly polls may be a bumpy one for Keshav, said sources in the Congress party.
The Congress will try to retain its present seats besides adding some more to it a task much easier said than done.
