Rules of Engagement
The election in Thiruvananthapuram is a refreshing change from business as usual. One very key part of the election process is that all the candidates get together on one platform and make presentations as to how they will handle key issues within the constituency. The format is one of debate rather than rallies and slanging matches. The platforms are provided by various fora, professional, religious and community based; all the candidates are invited to participate, and even on occasion, debate with each other. As the third term sitting MP, Shashi Tharoor, who is known for his people’s connect, has been an avid participant at these events, with little or lukewarm participation from his opponents. But this time, the BJP has fielded an equally articulate face in Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar, who makes it a point to attend these events, armed with his own “mission-not-vision” statement. Perhaps it is to do with the state’s high literacy rate along with a more than avid interest in politics, but as a result the constituents of Thiruvananthapuram are seeing a campaign that is fought on issues that matter—rather than the high decibel rhetoric of religion and caste. It definitely is a more gentlemanly way of playing the game than some of the hooliganism of the Hindi heartland. Given that the average Malayali is as interested and verbose about politics as is the average Bengali, these fora get a lot of traction. On a lighter note, the two arrived at one event dressed in the same shade of blue. When quizzed about the colour coordination, Chandrasekhar quipped that “we got it wholesale”. But that was the only thing they agreed upon in the feisty discussion that followed.
Problem of Plenty
The one state where the Congress has a problem of plenty is Haryana where the Congress is expected to make a comeback in the Assembly elections that follow shortly after the Lok Sabha elections. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is quite confident of wresting the state from the BJP. What has helped the optics in favour of the Congress is the last minute change in the Chief Minister by the BJP. As a result, candidates who were wary of contesting the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket have now put in their bids for a ticket. Moreover in addition to Hooda, Sonia Gandhi favourite Kumari Selja and Rahul Gandhi’s favourite Randeep Surjewala are also Haryana based and are pushing for their favourites, with the former keen to contest herself. The Congress Election Committee has had to defer the candidate selection and was last heard requesting a shorter list of hopefuls.
Congress Candidate from Amethi & Rae Bareli
While the Congress will be contesting all the 17 seats from Amethi and Rae Bareli that is allotted to it by the Samajwadi Party, the key question here is who the party’s candidates from the Gandhi family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli will be. From all accounts it is clear that both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will not be contesting. While earlier it was speculated that Feroze Varun Gandhi may contest Rae Bareli as an independent, he has since clarified that he will be sitting this election out and will only be canvassing for his mother, who is the BJP candidate from Pilibhit. Which leaves Robert Vadra’s candidature, for he has indicated his keenness to contest from Amethi. However, given the fact that Rahul is keen to downplay the dynasty card (this is being cited as one of the reasons why Priyanka has not been given a Lok Sabha ticket) it would be difficult for Vadra’s candidature to go through. Which brings us to the question: are the Gandhis ready to cut the umbilical cord with the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh?