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Rahul Gandhi tops one year in office with robust show ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections
The Congress’s good show in the assembly elections, pitched as semifinals before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, could not have come at a better time for the party president Rahul Gandhi
Strong performances in at least two Hindi heartland states, as election result trends indicate on Tuesday, would not have come at a better time for Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who completes one year in office next week.
Under his leadership, the opposition party has taken a lead in Rajasthan and seems headed for a victory in Chhattisgarh, according to the latest trends. The Congress is also locked in a tantalisingly close contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh.
Elections to these three states, along with those in Telangana and Mizoram, were billed as the semi-finals ahead of the general elections in 2019. Success in this round of polling would strengthen 48-year-old Gandhi’s position not only in the party but also within the opposition camp, which is trying to put up a united front against the BJP next year.
Gandhi has been leading from the front ever since he became the Congress president on December 11, 2017. Days before his elevation, he launched a spirited campaign in Gujarat where the party threw a tough challenge to the BJP. Though the BJP won the elections, the Congress managed to restore some pride in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his trusted lieutenant, Amit Shah.
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This May, Gandhi’s swift move in Karnataka made sure the BJP would have to sit in the opposition bench despite emerging as the single-largest party. As results started trickling in, he offered the chief ministership to the Janata Dal (Secular) after the Congress, which was ruling Karnataka, stopped well short of the majority mark. The sudden formation of the Congress-JD(S) coalition stunned the BJP.
When Gandhi formally took over the reins from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, on December 16, he faced the tough task of reviving and rebuilding a party that was struggling to recover following a series of electoral drubbings since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Gandhi soon began to execute his long-term plan, revamping the organisation by striking a balance between young leaders and the old guard.
A good show in Gujarat galvanised an otherwise demoralised Congress cadre, established his leadership and also silenced his detractors within the party. Since then, there has been no looking back. He led the charge in Karnataka and also in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
The Congress’s comeback at the national level largely depends on its revival in states, but intense infighting coupled with indecisiveness to address leadership issues in local units were key issues hurting the party’s prospects. Ending factionalism was imperative, and perhaps that was the reason why Gandhi did not name any chief ministerial candidates for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where infighting could have spoilt the party’s chances.
Gandhi faces another daunting task: reviving the Congress in key states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal, where it has lost its political space. Reconnecting with the middle class, the youth and the common people, who were disillusioned with the Congress, seems to figure on Gandhi’s agenda. As of now, Gandhi appears to have struck a chord with farmers and the youth, given the response to his campaign in these elections.
For 2019, Gandhi has the task cut out for him and that is to bring all opposition parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), on one platform. The two key parties in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh have so far refused to play ball. With three months remaining for the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi has to firm up state-specific alliances to prevent division of the opposition vote that could otherwise help the BJP.
But for now, he is getting all credit for what appears to be a recovery of the Congress. “Rahul Gandhi has worked hard... led the party,” United Progressive Alliance chairperson and his mother Sonia Gandhi told reporters at the Parliament House on Tuesday.
