What’s next for Jitu Patwari, state Cong’s youngest party chief?

Bhopal: Six months after the assembly election debacle, Congress in Madhya Pradesh faced another low as all Lok Sabha seats went to the BJP. Party’s bigwigs from the state including former chief ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath could not save their turf.
This is the first time in the political history of the state when the Congress does not have a single MP in the Lok Sabha and all 29 constituencies have been won by BJP candidates.In the Nov 2023 assembly polls, the Congress was confident of forming govt and the return of Kamal Nath as CM.But when the results came, it saw the BJP getting an overwhelming majority with 163 seats out of 230 and Congress getting only 66. The results shattered the hope of Comg brigade which had been patiently waiting since the rout of the erstwhile Digvijaya Singh regime in 2003 to come back to power.
The brief 15-months govt of Nath started the rejuvenation of the party from Dec 2018 but Jyotiraditya Scindia quit with 22 sitting MLAs toppling the regime. BJP sprung back to power leaders and foot soldiers became desperate.
The party removed Kamal Nath as state Cong prez and appointed 27 years younger Jitu Patwari in his place. Sources in the party explained that Rahul Gandhi wanted the GenNext to take charge to make a new beginning. However, Jitu Patwari’s sudden appointment could not help the despair that had set-in. Former state Youth Congress president and minister in the Kamal Nath govt, Jitu Patwari failed to hold together the rapid collapse in the organisation. Between January 1 and March 9, as many as 5800 senior functionaries and people’s representatives including ex Union min Suresh Pachauri, former MPs, MLAs, district presidents, frontal organisation office-bearers quit and joined BJP with thousands of supporters and workers. On April 7, the state BJP officially claimed that more than 2.58 lakh new members have joined the party and most rossed-over from the Congress. Even as LS election progressed, three sitting MLAs quit – Kamleshwar Shah, of Amarwada, Ram Niwas Rawat of Vijaypur and Nirmala Sapre from Bina.
Though Cong had lost 27 out of 29 seats in 2014, and 28 out of 29 in 2019. Patwari was appointed soon after the assembly election debacle on Dec 16 last year. In less than three months, the Code of Conduct for LS polls was imposed.
A senior PCC spokesman said that AICC will not make any organizational change at present. “It is too early. spokesman said.