One of the most astonishing stories of the recent years in Indian politics has been the constant decline of the Indian National Congress. After the party won merely 44 seats in the 2014 elections, pundits expected it to bounce back strongly and give a tough competition to the BJP. Those predictions ultimately ended up being wrong as the party only managed to get 52 seats in the 2019 General elections.
This, however, does not imply that INC is a thing of the past. There are enough reasons to believe that the part is an integral part of Indian politics. Even during state elections, state parties have indicated the need for a broader, all-India narrative. Any significant Non-BJP politics would require an anchor that is beyond the state-level constraints of regional politics. More importantly, the BJP has unambiguously and unapologetically indicated plans to pursue Hindu nationalism. By virtue of this, room is made for politics of standing up for India’s secular character.
Many political analysts are of the opinion that if the Congress wants to have any hope of resurrection, it can only do so by completely distancing itself from Rahul Gandhi. While Rahul Gandhi did step down from the party presidency last year, whether Gandhi occupies an official position or not does not make a difference in the minds of the voter as to them he is the heir-apparent and the face of the party and if they choose the Congress, they will get Rahul Gandhi.
Under Rahul’s leadership, the Congress has faced major electoral losses. This can be attributed to his complete lack of voter connect, inadequate understanding of ground issues and politics and poor overall decision-making abilities. Further, a deeply flawed sense of entitlement and misplaced priorities have ensured that the Congress is not even considered a legitimate opposition in many states now. His own electoral defeat in the family pocket-borough of Amethi was a clear evidence of this.
For the BJP, at the same time, Rahul Gandhi is an easy target. All the Modi-Shah duo has to do is keep reminding the voters of the alternative and force them to pick the better of the two. The BJP has even gone to the extent of saying that there are enough credible leaders in the INC but they’ve never gotten what they deseve due to the shehzada.
It is pretty clear by this time that Rahul Gandhi is a liability for the Congress that an asset and as long as he is around in any form, he will continue to make the part weaker. In the absence of Rahul Gandhi, the party can start with a clear message that it is ready to break tradition and reach out to voters with a concrete action plan and better understanding of ground realities.
Further, it is important for the part to have a next generation of leaders that can take the party forward. Till the time Rahul Gandhi continues to be in politics, other leaders in the Congress will be forced to work under his shadow. He is, after all, the crown prince, even if he chooses not to sit on the throne. With him not in the picture, young Congress leaders will have a far better chance of at convincing voters that they are the real faces of the party and the party no longer belongs to dynasts.
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