Sonia's pick?

The people of this most populous north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are desperately waiting for a change of guard.

Regional parties (Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - led by Mayawati and the Samajwadi Party (SP) - led by Mulayam Singh Yadav) have been tested in this state time and again.

Presently the state is ruled by Behen Kumari (Sister Ms) Mayawati ji.

Both of these parties have confirmed and reconfirmed with lot of conviction that land grabbing and money making would remain at the prime focus in their rule.

Development remains an alien word for these parties, whose leaders lack in vision. They cannot see beyond their immediate personal gains. The result is that every time these regional parties come to rule, they push the state a few years back.

Now the options, with which the people of Hindi heartland are left with, are either the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Congress - both national parties and both have ruled the nation.

Of these, the BJP is a party, which is constantly on a decline since after its dynamic leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee - who had been the Prime Minister of the country also - retired from politics. In Uttar Pradesh, the party is facing crisis of not only leadership but it is also bankrupt when it comes to raising public issues.

Even in this 21st century when the world talks of revolutions in genetic sciences and information technology, the BJP talks of Ram Mandir (Temple of Hindu God Ram) and tries to lure the voter in the name of a Hindu mythological character.

The only hope left is the comeback of the Congress party, which at present, is ruling the country with its alliance partners and which has at least started talking about system reforms.

The last best governance, which Uttar Pradesh can boast of, was of the Congress party (two decades back).

The young generation (below 21) has not seen the rule of the Congress and they are pinning their hopes in this party, mostly because its young leader Rahul Gandhi.

The party pitched in Rita Bahuguna Joshi against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati by giving her the charge of the party in this state. An energetic and hard working woman, Rita completely changed the way the party used to function, earlier. The Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh were known for their comfortable life styles as they preferred to stay inside in the comforts of their air-conditioned rooms.

But, Rita changed the trend and led all political events from the front. Her daunting efforts brought dividends and the Congress party, which had been long forgotten in this state, at least became visible. People started recognising it as a potential contender in the elections.

In over two and half years' time Rita held thousands of public meetings, demonstrations and sit-ons in the state. She travelled to each district of the state a minimum of three times. She travels not less than 400 kilometres everyday and holds at least two meetings, daily, on an average. She is constantly confronting Mayawati on people’s problems and thereby posing a discomfiture to Mayawati’s absolute majority government.

Under her leadership, the party's vote percentage went up from 12 in 2004 parliament polls to 18 in 2009 general elections and the seats doubled (from 10 to 21). The rising graph obviously strengthened people's hope.

At this juncture, the time came for the selection of a new party chief in the state.

Unfortunately, the party, which was putting up a show of strength till now, suddenly seemed to be crumbling down.

Internal bickering and strong differences started coming to the fore. There are strong lobbies working to restrict Rita from repeating (primarily because men couldn't tolerate a woman doing better than them) the office of state president. Many veterans claimed their stakes in case there were elections for the party president's post - all this stooping only to defeat Rita.

It was sad to see senior leaders openly protesting against the woman (Rita), who gathered the party literally from the dust, cleaned it, polished it and made it sparkle.

Aware of the conflicts within the party in this most backward state, the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi finally took the rein in her hands. Now, it is she, who would announce the name of the person who would lead the party in Uttar Pradesh and under whose leadership the Congress would contest the next most crucial assembly elections in the state.

Let's see what she decides and who gets the post. Should it be Rita who would carry forward her own fine work of strengthening the party or a new face, who would start working from scratch to first build his own credibility and then work for the party!

Any guesses !!!