The Congress Working Committee has taken the only decision it could in the circumstances in regard to the forthcoming municipal elections in Bombay. It could have heeded Mr. Y.B. Chavan’s opposition to the proposed electoral adjustment with the Congress (I) only at the risk of seeing the party badly mauled and for all practical purposes even destroyed in the city. For, since the exit of Mr. Sharad Pawar and his supporters, the Congress has not been in a position to go it alone either in the Bombay city or in any other part of Maharashtra, not excluding Western Maharashtra where Mr. Chavan has been highly influential for over two decades. Indeed, in Bombay it fared pretty badly in the vidhan sabha election earlier this year when the Janata ran away with all the seats and the Congress (I) secured the second position in a majority of the constituencies. And at that time the Congress was in power in the state, Mr. Pawar and his supporters were still members of the party and Mrs. Gandhi had yet to demonstrate her capacity to pull votes in favour of hastily and in many cases badly selected candidates. She had not had the time to organize her party. Thus it is a much weaker Congress that would be contesting the municipal elections and it would be doing so in much more adverse circumstances in that it would find it difficult to raise funds and collect volunteers. As such it just could not have gone it alone unless it was interested only in showing the flag.
It does not follow that Mr. Chavan’s concern is misplaced. It is not. On the contrary, it is only logical that the electoral adjustment in respect of the municipal elections will be extended to the zilla parishads and panchayats at the appropriate time, especially if the state Congress (I) leaders prove reasonably accommodating towards the weaker partner, and that this will in effect produce a lasting alliance between the two parties. And if they do reasonably well in the elections, the position of the proponents of unity with the Congress (I) in the Congress will have been considerably strengthened. Mr. Chavan and others like Dr. Karan Singh and Mr. A.K. Antony, who are convinced that Mrs. Gandhi has not given up her authoritarian ways and dynastic ambitions, have naturally reasons to be concerned over the possibility of the Congress (I)- Congress unity through the Maharashtra backdoor. This must be specially true about Mr. Chavan who has been the undisputed leader of the Maharashtra Congress all these years. But what is the way out, especially after most of Mr. Chavan’s own close followers among the legislators have left the party and formed a government in alliance with the Janata? Clearly an open, all-out alliance with the Janata. But that is not acceptable even to Mr. Chavan. This puts him in a dilemma which is reflected in his actions and there is no solution to it. The Congress can retain its identity and should do so in the present fluid situation. But it has to lean towards the Janata or the Congress (I). While the choice is doubtless agonizing, it is unavoidable.