Congress leaders see Rahul Gandhi emerging as opposition’s principal face.
It was a hot and humid afternoon in the national capital on June 19, but hundreds of Congress workers braved the soaring temperatures to greet Rahul Gandhi on his 56th birthday, with many raising slogans projecting the Gandhi scion as the country’s next Prime Minister.
While Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was cutting his birthday cake at the Congress headquarters here, the political challenges and opportunities leading up to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections were perhaps not far from his mind. Recent political developments within several opposition parties following the Assembly elections have once again brought into focus the question of leadership within the opposition camp.
A day before his birthday, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his assertion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be able to complete another year in office and that the present government would not complete its full term, a claim he has repeatedly made over the past several months.
However, Prime Minister Modi continues to enjoy considerable popularity among the electorate across the country, making the challenge of positioning Rahul Gandhi as the principal face of the opposition INDIA bloc a complex political exercise.
According to a party insider, with several opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar faction, Rashtriya Janata Dal and others facing political challenges in recent years, Rahul Gandhi has increasingly emerged as one of the most prominent voices of the opposition.
The insider said that the former Congress president, through the Bharat Jodo Yatra, conveyed a message that he would stand with the poor, Dalits, tribals, minorities and other marginalised sections of society.
The source also pointed out that Rahul Gandhi has consistently raised issues affecting students, including NEET, CBSE-related concerns and paper leaks. Apart from this, he has highlighted farmers’ issues, land-related concerns, environmental questions and other subjects that directly connect with ordinary citizens.
He has also sought to persuade opposition parties to focus on issues such as alleged irregularities in the electoral process and the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, subjects that some opposition parties had earlier not actively pursued.
According to the party insider, many opposition parties that were once reluctant to project Rahul Gandhi as the principal opposition face have gradually come to recognise that he remains one of the few leaders who is unwilling to compromise politically with the BJP.
The insider further argued that developments following the defeat of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal have strengthened the belief among several opposition parties that Rahul Gandhi’s political concerns were not unfounded. Similarly, leaders in Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP-SP are increasingly convinced that the Congress leader remains a dependable ally.
The insider claimed that following the electoral setback and internal turbulence within the Trinamool Congress, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after which Abhishek Banerjee also met Rahul Gandhi.
According to the source, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has also come to accept Rahul Gandhi as one of the leading faces of the opposition, much like several other opposition leaders.
Even Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the insider said, has realised that the best way to challenge the BJP’s electoral dominance is through a strong alliance with the Congress, similar to the arrangement witnessed during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The party insider maintained that Rahul Gandhi is becoming increasingly acceptable to various opposition parties and could eventually emerge as the leader of a broad coalition of opposition forces, having succeeded in overcoming many obstacles over the last few years.
Another party source said that apart from maintaining coordination with opposition parties, the Congress would also need to focus on institutional issues if it hopes to mount a serious challenge in the 2029 general elections.
According to the source, the Congress is already preparing for what it sees as a decisive political battle in 2029, with Rahul Gandhi expected to remain one of the principal faces of the opposition camp.
