Himalaya Harbinger, National Bureau.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, leading the 27-party opposition alliance, announced on Friday that the decision regarding the Prime Ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc would be deferred until after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the launch event of the party’s poll manifesto, Gandhi emphasized that the electoral battle in India was not merely about seats but was profoundly ideological. He remarked, “INDIA is fighting an ideological election, and a decision on the PM candidate will be taken after the polls.”
The anticipation surrounding the Lok Sabha elections has intensified, with Rahul Gandhi suggesting that they would be much closer than the media projections indicate. He warned against complacency, drawing a parallel with the “India Shining” campaign of 2004. Gandhi reminded the audience of the unexpected outcome of that election, despite surveys favoring the ruling party.
Reflecting on past electoral surprises, Gandhi noted that in 2004, the BJP’s “India Shining” campaign faltered, leading to Congress emerging as the single-largest party and subsequently forming the government. However, in 2014 and 2019, Narendra Modi and the BJP clinched victory, setting ambitious targets of securing 370 seats independently and over 400 with allies in the current election cycle.
The speculation over the opposition’s PM candidate intensified following a meeting last December where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal proposed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s name. Kharge, however, stressed that the coalition must first secure a sufficient number of seats to stake a claim for the PM’s post.
The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be conducted in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. The vote count for all 543 constituencies is slated for June 4.
