Is Rahul opting out as prime ministerial candidate in Indian elections ?

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury | Published: March 04, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The scion of the most famous political dynasty of India, Rahul Gandhi seems to be opting out as a prime ministerial candidate in the coming general elections due in April/May this year, and instead appears to be focusing on the 2019 polls. The impression received credence for the reason that while he is definitely seeking to return his ruling Congress to power for the third term in a row, the second most important leader in the party is talking more about the 2019 elections. He has particularly stressed that the younger generations must be prepared for the future leadership of the country through the elections that would follow after next month's voting. Latest survey reports say that Rahul's main rival for the head of government in the coming days Narendra Modi of the main opposition BJP is way ahead for the position compared to Rahul.
Many Indians are waiting with fingers crossed to know whether the son of the most influential politician of India at the moment Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul will be a candidate for nation's next prime ministership in the coming elections. Three months ago, the ruling Congress sought to set at rest all speculations, saying he is not up to that position. Instead, the party, of which Sonia  is the chief and Rahul is the vice-president, would be in charge of the election campaign. Several party leaders wanted Rahul be named as nominee for premiership, but Sonia Gandhi disapproved the proposal. However, the Congress also made it clear that it is not in the tradition of the party to announce someone's candidature for the head of government position before elections -- what the opposition BJP has done by naming Narendra Modi for the job. But it goes without saying that Rahul would be the head of the government in the unlikely event of the Congress coming back to power.
Now the question that comes up is whether Rahul Gandhi is out of the race for prime ministership?  The answer can be interpreted in both ways. A close examination of the issue would suggest that the Congress has not taken any decision if the 42-year-old bachelor son of former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi will not be prime minister in the event of the party coming to power. What the party has clearly said is that it is not the practice of the party to name nominee ahead of elections for the all powerful position. Evidently, certain degree of ambiguity exists in the matter and analysts would like to believe that Rahul has not been ruled out for the job if opportunity emerges in that regard.
India, the largest democracy in the world, is going to a voting that is expected to be a litmus test for the ruling Congress and its allies. The polls that will be staggered because of the vastness of the country, are becoming quite interesting since opposition leader Narendra Modi has thrown a formidable challenge to the ruling UPA alliance. Incumbent prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said that he would not be a candidate for the head of the government any longer even if his party wins the elections.
A few months ago, Congress lost state assembly elections in four of the five states and this has dampened the chances of the party for a good performance in the 2014 national polls. Particularly, the loss in Delhi has been a big disaster as the Congress has been relegated to a distant third position after being in power for two successive terms. Two important states - Madhya Pradesh and Rajsthan were already in the grip of the BJP, which has strengthened its position in both the important states now.
Earlier, results of the five state assembly elections had come as a big disappointment for the centre-ruling Congress. The results that saw a poor performance by the Congress that leads a rainbow coalition at the centre were particularly a big setback for party president Sonia Gandhi and more so for her son Rahul Gandhi, who has been groomed up for future leadership..
India's largest state Uttar Pradesh, which sends maximum state-wise seats to the centre, was the attraction of all eyes in those polls as the Congress was desperate to stage a comeback. The state has also special significance for Sonia-Rahul as the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty comes from here. Besides, Uttar Pradesh has produced most of the prime ministers of the country. As such, the Congress and especially its young leader Rahul spared no efforts to drum up support for the party in this crucially important state to regain the old glory. Important figures of the political family - first premier of independent India Jawharlal Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi - all became the prime ministers.
But the strength of the Congress in the state is on the decline for last several years. Both Sonia and Rahul were keen to improve the image of the party in the state for obvious reasons. Frankly, none really expected the party to win the polls here, but enormous scope existed for improving its position. Unfortunately for Congress, that has not happened and sadly, it came fourth after the Samajwadi Party, ruling Bhujan Samaj party (BSP) and the Bharatiya Janna party(BJP).Worse, the Congress lost seats in the constituencies of Sonia and Rahul - Rai Baerelly and Amethi respectively that had earlier returned them with big margins.
Poor performance by the Congress in the state assembly polls in two phases gave the signal that the party is in decline. Poor performance and several sensational corruption-related scandals shattered the ruling alliance's chances in the next voting.
With Manmohan Singh no longer in the picture and none else as such in the Congress is visible for the prime minister's job, it is plausible to think that Rahul in all likelihood would be the prime minister if the party succeeds in retaining power. Along with Narendra Modi, some other names of the leaders of smaller and regional parties are also coming in as candidates for prime ministership because of the "coalition culture" of Indian politics. With hardly a month and a half left for the phase-wise voting to begin, the Congress and the BJP are sparing no efforts to woo the electorate while others are also not lagging behind.
zaglulbss@yahoo.com