Rahul Gandhi has a new avatar and is leading the Congress campaign in Gujarat. As the poll fever rises ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has intensified his attack against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, apart from his speeches which are critical of the prime minister and his government’s policies, Rahul’s Twitter avatar has undergone a remarkable makeover.
As the BJP has ruled Gujarat for the last two decades, the upcoming elections hold strong significance for it.
The last Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) saw the BJP win only Assam out of the four states. Gujarat, keeping national politics in mind, will definitely impact the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. It is also the Prime Minister’s home state. And a dent here can send the BJP on the back foot. Also very noticeable is the division of vote share along communal lines.
This year, the politics of Gujarat revolves around the issue of reservation for the OBCs and the Patidars. Headed by Hardik Patel, the PAAS has been demanding reservations and the Congress is believed to have agreed to all of Hardik Patel’s demands. With Patidars accounting for around 16% of the state’s population and Hardik Patel, enjoying about support from about 61% of his people, is something for the Congress to cheer for.
Support from Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor having the party will be beneficial for them. They have the potential to mobilise new voters towards Congress. It means that this could dent the ruling party’s chances in the future.
The unknown factor in the Gujarat elections remains the youth voters.
Rahul Gandhi seems to have come with the policy of it’s time to ‘rise and grind.’ The man who most people called ‘Pappu’ have now found a leader in him and with the BJP having had to send all its top brasses to counter him, it shows how he has evolved.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut recently opined that people are interested in hearing what RaGA has to say. “People these days want to hear what Rahul Gandhi is saying in his speech. This hints that he is emerging as one of the leaders in this country.”
The Gujarat poll has now turned out to be an interesting event to look forward to. The Congress having improved its performance will anticipate a comeback, while the BJP will look to stay in power, for a loss here, could jeopardise their chances at the national level.
The voters of Gujarat will decide the fate of the state in the upcoming legislative assembly elections to be held on December 9 and December 14 for 182 seats. The counting of votes will take place on December 18 along with those for Himachal Pradesh.