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Can Rahul Gandhi Change Congress' Fate in 2024 Elections?
Can Rahul Gandhi Change Congress' Fate in 2024 Elections?
Sputnik India
Although, it is not certain if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would be able to contest 2024 election but it would be interesting to see if Unite India Campaign or Bharat Jodo Yatra and his dereliction as a parliamentarian will bring any positive news for Congress
2023-04-20T19:58+0530
2023-04-20T19:58+0530
2023-04-24T12:52+0530
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2023 is one of the most important political years for Gandhi-Nehru scion, Rahul Gandhi, and it would be interesting to see how he uses the opportunity in the coming state and national elections, says political science professor Rajiv Kaul.Talking to Sputnik, Shukla emphasized the two most important events of 2023 for Rahul Gandhi: the dereliction of Rahul Gandhi as a parliamentarian and his 3,500-kilometer-long 'Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Campaign).How Gandhi Built His Political CareerRahul began his political journey in the 2004 national election by running in his assassinated father's constituency, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh state.He was 21 when his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated. It occurred just a few years after his grandmother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was killed by her two bodyguards in 1984.Rahul's mother, Sonia Gandhi, one of the longest-serving Congress chairpersons, never held any position with the government.That was also the time when the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government completed its first full five-year tenure from 1999-2004 at the federal level."At that time, he (Rahul) portrayed himself as someone who could unite his party and revive the grand old party. Even after winning the 2004 election, he could easily choose to take some ministerial berth in the cabinet. But he said that he would like to work for the party," Political expert and senior journalist Abid Shah told Sputnik.Given that the Congress party also won the 2009 general election, Rahul Gandhi neither took any prominent position in the federal government nor in Congress (only the general secretary position). Still, he emerged as a prominent face on posters, Shah explained.Many Congress politicians and party workers also projected him as the future Prime Minister. However, no official announcement was ever made.In 2013, Gandhi was made vice president of the Congress party.Rahul Gandhi's ImageGandhi's utterances on various occasions gave the opposition the ammo to highlight him as a politically naive person.Since 2013, Rahul Gandhi has been mocked as 'Pappu' (a loser, a dumb individual with a low IQ, or illogical person). That label went viral in the 2014 election.The BJP called him a reluctant, part-time and non-serious politician.Experts said the major reason behind his image is that his "speeches were often abstract, out of context and understanding, and devoid of politics."One of his viral answers was when he said: "Poverty is … a poor person is one who is denied the opportunity to become rich.""If you look at Rahul Gandhi, he comes from a very powerful political family. His image is very formidable and a threat to the opposition. Hence, the opposition created the tag of Pappu, which was a combination of the politics of ridicule and mockery. The entire opposition tried to tarnish his image," Rashid Kidwai, an author and political analyst, told Sputnik.2014: A Post-Election-Defeat JourneyAccording to Kidwai, since 2013, we started witnessing a confrontational attitude by Rahul Gandhi.In September 2013, Gandhi slammed his own Manmohan Singh-led government and dramatically tore an ordinance passed by his government that gave convicted lawmakers a three-month reprieve to retain their seats. Gandhi described the ordinance as "complete nonsense".The 2014 electoral result also marked one of the worst performances by the grand old party. It could win only 44 of the 545 parliamentary seats. In 2009, the party won 209 seats. Narendra Modi-led BJP emerged triumphant.Going into further detail on Rahul's confrontationist attitude, Kidwai said: "Most of the non-BJP leaders avoided directly attacking Modi and BJP, including Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, M.K Stalin and others. All these people maintain a neutral relationship with Modi. But Rahul attacked Narendra Modi on many occasions.""He could have become the opposition leader in 2014 or 2019, but he even avoided that," Kidwai explained.However, since Congress' defeat, in 2014, many veteran and prominent Congress politicians have left the party and joined the BJP or formed their party.In 2017, Rahul became Congress chief, however, after the 2019 national election defeat, Gandhi took the blame and quit his position. In 2019, he lost his constituency, Amethi, to BJP's Smriti Irani.Gandhi also continued his battle in Kerala's Wayanad constituency and won it.Unite India CampaignLast year in September, Gandhi undertook the now-renowned 3,500-kilometre-long Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Campaign) march, which lasted for almost 150 days.The five-month campaign, on foot, from Kanyakumari to Jammu, was actually to revive himself and the party.A survey conducted by India Today-CVoter in January said that Rahul Gandhi's popularity had increased after his campaign, but Prime Minister Modi remains the country's most popular leader."After Bharat Jodo Yatra, there has been a change in his image, especially among those who had shrugged him off as a non-serious politician," Kidwai noted.Gandhi's Dereliction as MPThe Wayanad MP was disqualified on 23 March 2023 following his conviction by a local court in a defamation case.On Thursday, a Surat district court rejected Rahul Gandhi's application for a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.If Gandhi cannot get the conviction rescinded by higher courts, he won't be able to run in the elections for 2024 and 2029.Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's political journey, Kidwai added: "Most politicians in his place would have either compromised or changed their stance or backed out. But he didn't change his stance. He had learned the hard way. Now, many opposition leaders have changed their stance on Rahul Gandhi and supported Gandhi on many issues."Kidwai also said neither Congress nor Gandhi wanted to make the 2024 election a "Modi vs. Rahul," but BJP is keen on projecting such an election.Sameer Chougnakor, a senior journalist and author, opined that one cannot predict who will win the 2024 election, but it seems to be an easy battle for the BJP."But elections are never based on predictions, 11 months is a long time to reach any conclusion," Chougnakor added.
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Can Rahul Gandhi Change Congress' Fate in 2024 Elections?
19:58 20.04.2023 (Updated: 12:52 24.04.2023) Deexa Khanduri
Sputnik correspondent
Congress party's ex-president Rahul Gandhi is the scion of India's political dynasty, the Gandhi-Nehru family. Ahead of the national polls, he has positioned himself as one of the main challengers to Narendra Modi and the BJP.
2023 is one of the most important political years for
Gandhi-Nehru scion, Rahul Gandhi, and it would be interesting to see how he uses the opportunity in the coming state and national elections, says political science professor
Rajiv Kaul.
Talking to Sputnik, Shukla emphasized the two most important events of 2023 for Rahul Gandhi: the dereliction of Rahul Gandhi as a parliamentarian and his 3,500-kilometer-long 'Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Campaign).
How Gandhi Built His Political Career
Rahul began his political journey in the 2004 national election by running in his assassinated father's constituency, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh state.
He was 21 when his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated. It occurred just a few years after his grandmother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was killed by her two bodyguards in 1984.
Rahul's mother, Sonia Gandhi, one of the
longest-serving Congress chairpersons, never held any position with the government.
That was also the time when the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government completed its first full five-year tenure from 1999-2004 at the federal level.
"At that time, he (Rahul) portrayed himself as someone who could unite his party and revive the grand old party. Even after winning the 2004 election, he could easily choose to take some ministerial berth in the cabinet. But he said that he would like to work for the party," Political expert and senior journalist Abid Shah told Sputnik.
Given that the Congress party also won the 2009 general election, Rahul Gandhi neither took any prominent position in the federal government nor in Congress (only the general secretary position). Still, he emerged as a prominent face on posters, Shah explained.
Many Congress politicians and party workers also projected him as the future Prime Minister. However, no official announcement was ever made.
In 2013, Gandhi was made vice president of the Congress party.
Gandhi's utterances on various occasions gave the opposition the ammo to highlight him as a politically naive person.
Since 2013, Rahul Gandhi has been mocked as 'Pappu' (a loser, a dumb individual with a low IQ, or illogical person). That label went viral in the 2014 election.
The
BJP called him a reluctant, part-time and non-serious politician.
Experts said the major reason behind his image is that his "speeches were often abstract, out of context and understanding, and devoid of politics."
One of his viral answers was when he said: "Poverty is … a poor person is one who is denied the opportunity to become rich."
"If you look at Rahul Gandhi, he comes from a very powerful political family. His image is very formidable and a threat to the opposition. Hence, the opposition created the tag of Pappu, which was a combination of the politics of ridicule and mockery. The entire opposition tried to tarnish his image," Rashid Kidwai, an author and political analyst, told Sputnik.
2014: A Post-Election-Defeat Journey
According to Kidwai, since 2013, we started witnessing a confrontational attitude by Rahul Gandhi.
In September 2013, Gandhi slammed his own Manmohan Singh-led government and dramatically tore an ordinance passed by his government that gave convicted lawmakers a three-month reprieve to retain their seats. Gandhi described the ordinance as "complete nonsense".
Kidwai opines that "Rahul as a leader so far is not a great success, but Rahul as a cause is proving to be a bigger success."
The 2014 electoral result also marked one of the worst performances by the grand old party. It could win only 44 of the 545 parliamentary seats. In 2009, the party won 209 seats. Narendra Modi-led BJP emerged triumphant.
Going into further detail on Rahul's confrontationist attitude, Kidwai said: "Most of the non-BJP leaders avoided directly attacking
Modi and BJP, including Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, M.K Stalin and others. All these people maintain a neutral relationship with Modi. But Rahul attacked Narendra Modi on many occasions."
"He could have become the opposition leader in 2014 or 2019, but he even avoided that," Kidwai explained.
However, since Congress' defeat, in 2014, many veteran and prominent Congress politicians have left the party and joined the BJP or formed their party.
In 2017, Rahul became Congress chief, however, after the 2019 national election defeat, Gandhi took the blame and quit his position. In 2019, he lost his constituency, Amethi, to BJP's Smriti Irani.
Gandhi also continued his battle in Kerala's Wayanad constituency and won it.
Last year in September, Gandhi undertook the now-renowned 3,500-kilometre-long Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Campaign) march, which lasted for almost 150 days.
The five-month campaign, on foot, from Kanyakumari to Jammu, was actually to revive himself and the party.
A survey conducted by India Today-CVoter in January said that Rahul Gandhi's popularity had increased after his campaign, but Prime Minister Modi remains the country's most popular leader.
"After Bharat Jodo Yatra, there has been a change in his image, especially among those who had shrugged him off as a non-serious politician," Kidwai noted.
Gandhi's Dereliction as MP
The Wayanad MP was disqualified on 23 March 2023 following his conviction by a local court in a defamation case.
On Thursday, a Surat district court rejected Rahul Gandhi's application for a stay on his conviction in a
criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.
If Gandhi cannot get the conviction rescinded by higher courts, he won't be able to run in the elections for 2024 and 2029.
Commenting on Rahul Gandhi's political journey, Kidwai added: "Most politicians in his place would have either compromised or changed their stance or backed out. But he didn't change his stance. He had learned the hard way. Now, many opposition leaders have changed their stance on Rahul Gandhi and supported Gandhi on many issues."
Kidwai also said neither Congress nor Gandhi wanted to make the 2024 election a "Modi vs. Rahul," but BJP is keen on projecting such an election.
Sameer Chougnakor, a senior journalist and author, opined that one cannot predict who will win the 2024 election, but it seems to be an easy battle for the BJP.
"But elections are never based on predictions, 11 months is a long time to reach any conclusion," Chougnakor added.
