20000331

Disaffection mounting

in Congress to

Sonia's leadership

NEW DELHI: Indian opposition leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday faced a humiliating loss of face after her Congress party voted against two of the three candidates she handpicked for the federal upper house of the parliament.

Indian newspapers played up the debacle as a sign of mounting disaffection in the Congress to Sonia's leadership after party members in the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa on Wednesday helped to defeat her candidates.

The polls were held in eight state legislatures to elect 29 members to the upper house of parliament. The ruling Hindu nationalist party won eight seats and the Congress secured six seats.

Only one of Sonia's handpicked nominees was elected from the western desert state of Rajasthan.

Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal reluctantly admitted on Thursday that things were not quite in order in the party. "You can see the voting pattern for yourself," he told AFP. "It is obviously unfortunate for the Congress and calls for deep introspection to see where things are going wrong."

Sibal, however, refused to blame Sonia or comment on reports of growing disaffection in the Congress with her allegedly autocratic style of functioning.

"I will not comment on a single person," he said but added that the Congress Working Committee, the party's think-tank, needed major changes.

The Times of India daily said Congress state legislators in West Bengal and Orissa, who were electing MPs to the upper house, had cocked "a snook at Sonia," while the Hindustan Times said the party had been "hit by cross-voting."

The Indian Express said the results indicated "turmoil and shifting loyalties with grave political implications for the Congress," and The Pioneer newspaper spoke of a "severe dent" to Sonia's image.

The Italian-born Sonia took the reins of the 115-year-old Congress in 1998.

The Congress, which ruled India without a break for 32 years since the country's independence in 1947, was routed in last year's national polls winning just 112 seats in the 545-member lower house - its worst performance so far.

It suffered another blow when three senior leaders walked out to form a new party and lashed out against Gandhi's foreign roots and her alleged autocratic style of functioning.

However, Arjun Singh, a senior Congress leader and a Sonia loyalist, dismissed increasing speculation of an merging anti Sonia lobby within the Congress.

"There is no dispute over the leadership of Sonia and the entire party is behind her," Singh said.ÑAFP