The Congress party is going to face a new litmus test in the forthcoming general elections as left parties seem either distancing from it or snubbing its leaders. Recently, in contrast to the long assimilation of the two ideological entities, Left parties have slapped an ultimatum that Rahul Gandhi should pick any other Lok Sabha seat and leave Vyanad (Kerala) for the CPI candidate and its national executive member Annie Raja, who is married to party general secretary D Raja.
This move of Left has raised many questions; if Congress is going to save itself from reducing to a single- digit party and that the political stock of the Congress is at stake? While the Left and the Congress are part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), it was always clear they would find it difficult to arrive at any sort of understanding in Kerala, where the two represent the two main poles of the state polity.
More humiliating to Congress, when the CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said the idea of Gandhi contesting against Left in Wayanad would be a “wrong political step.” When Sonia Gandhi was in command, Left leaders like Harkishan Singh Surjeet and AB Bardhan were seen accompanying her often. Now when Rahul has become the steward, Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat and D Raja are seen around him. But now the same Leftists have posed a big challenge to the Congress in Kerala.
Although the Left parties contest elections against the Congress in Kerala, it was surprising when the Left parties made D Raja’s wife a candidate on the Wayanad seat. The oldest ally Muslim League also threatened to break the alliance and took the Rajya Sabha seat from Congress in an agreement. If one looks at the politics of Congress for a decade, Rahul Gandhi has left the ideology of Congress and has embraced that of communists. More and more people with Leftist ideology are seen in the staff around him.
Surprisingly, Kanhaiya Kumar and Yogendra Yadav, who gained political mileage only by criticizing Congress, are members of his core team. More so, instigated by the two, Rahul Gandhi keeps on making scathing attack on backward classes and the business tycoon Adani. The Congress has already lost West Bengal and now had diminishing chances to stay in southern state of Kerala. Rahul has created key positions to strategists like KC Venugopal, who comes from Kerala. Similarly Sam Pitroda and Jairam Ramesh are also included in Rahul’s core team.
It is known that these people are in fact play pivotal role to run the party. They who have organized the Nyaya Yatra despite a large section opposed it. Ignoring the key issue of Kerala, Rahul is travelling and camping in foreign countries leaving senior party leaders in a fix as what to do if Rahul is made to junk Wayanad seat – which is considered the most safe seat for him. But leaving the seat would prompt the BJP to launch an attack. According to experts; if Congress loses Kerala in coming Lok Sabha elections, like it had lost in Assembly elections, then it would be huge loss to the party. For the first time after independence, the Congress alliance was defeated.
Similarly in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party refused to form an alliance with the Congress. These political events do not augur well for the Congress party. It would be left with fewer options; Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu where the Congress leaders can hope against hopes. However, the BJP has already made it tough for JDS and the Congress. While, picture is not rosy for Congress in Maharashtra until elections are over.
In spite, things do not bode well the Congress has been given 19 seats from Hindi-heartland in the alliance. In the Hindi belt state of Uttar Pradesh, Congress has formed an alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP), but there is doubt about the Gandhi family contesting the elections from Rae Bareli and Amethi. She may also contest election from Kammam seat of Telangana.
The BJP may also field Kangana Ranaut from Rae Bareli seat while it may repeat sitting MP (Member of Parliament) Smriti Irani from Amethi. Another cine actress may be asked to take on either of the Gandhis. In Uttar Pradesh, Congress faces a big challenge to win only Rae Bareli and Amethi. It is nowhere even in race across Uttar Pradesh as the BJP is likely to set a new record and may cross the previous record of winning 74 seats.
The Congress has very thin chance to even come to secure any seat as it has no presence in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar and Orissa. The Congress strategists are puzzled how to gear up to the general elections which have drawn nearer. However, it would not hold any good in a democratic system, if once the main Opposition party accepts its defeat before elections.