When the Congress released its list of star campaigners for the Gujarat polls to be held on December 1 and 5, Rahul Gandhi’s name figured in it. Nothing new, as his name was also included in the star campaigners’ list for Himachal Pradesh.
The only difference is, unlike in Himachal, Rahul will be campaigning in Gujarat. So he takes a diversion from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which would be entering Madhya Pradesh around November 21, and he will be campaigning in the Saurashtra region around the 22nd. Saurashtra is one region where the Congress did well in the previous Gujarat polls and is considered to be an area where it still has a presence.
But why did Rahul Gandhi change his mind about campaigning in the state while he stayed away from electioneering in Himachal Pradesh?
Firstly, with the traction that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has got, the former Congress chief and his advisors think he can use this to improve the performance of his party. In the 2017 polls, Rahul’s yatra with Hardik Patel (who has now joined the BJP), Alpesh Thakor (who is also contesting on a BJP ticket), and Jignesh Mevani had woven a good record for the Congress when it seemed close to a win. The party hopes that the same Rahul, minus the trip but on a Bharat Jodo Yatra, can help the Congress.
Secondly, as the Aam Aadmi Party, according to the state Congress leadership, is losing steam, it’s felt by them that Rahul Gandhi can afford the risk to take it on. The biggest threat to the Congress comes from AAP and the party realises that it is now or never and therefore only Rahul can combat the Aam Aadmi Party.
Importantly, this is going to be the first election that the Congress is going to face in Gujarat without Ahmed Patel. The previous state polls were held immediately after a fantastic Rajya Sabha seat win by Patel, outsmarting the BJP. The Congress at that point in time was on a high and capitalised on his victory. But this time Ahmed Patel is not around after he passed away due to Covid complications. The Congress misses the shrewd strategies of AP, as he was called. Ashok Gehlot’s grip on ground politics is of course giving some hope as he is supervising the polls.
The Congress doesn’t want to lose out on its tribal and rural base in Gujarat and hence it wants to take no chances, and Rahul Gandhi has been requested to step in.
One of the main reasons for Rahul changing his mind is that Gujarat is identified with the Prime Minister as his home state. And as the Congress MP has made attacking Narendra Modi the mainstay of his politics, it was felt that it would send a wrong political message if he did not turn up here.
Often accused of opting for a safe fight, Rahul and his advisors felt that taking a detour from the yatra to campaign in the BJP’s stronghold would send the message that he is open to a confrontation with the PM. But this is a double-edged sword, as it also mounts pressure on Rahul Gandhi to show he can ensure a good performance for his party as well as stop the growth of AAP.
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