A LOT HAS changed for the Congress in Gujarat since the assembly polls in 2017, when it carried out a feisty campaign led by Rahul Gandhi. It won 79 seats and 41.1 per cent votes in a close contest with the BJP. It was the party's best performance in three decades, a period which witnessed the BJP's unbroken reign.
In stark contrast, the Congress's electioneering is conspicuously low profile this time, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn his partymen about a 'silent campaign'. Rahul, who is busy leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, may make only a guest appearance in Gujarat.
Amid a sea change, a constant for the Congress in Gujarat is veteran leader Ashok Gehlot. In the electoral contest where the Gujarat model is the BJP's main plank and the Delhi model the AAP's, the Rajasthan model is playing a predominant role for the Congress in more ways than one. Gehlot is leading it in his capacity as Rajasthan chief minister and senior observer supervising the party's campaign. His trusted lieutenant Raghu Sharma is the AICC in-charge of the state, and leaders from Rajasthan have been pressed into service in every constituency. On offer are promises like bringing back the old pension scheme, free hospital care for accident victims, free medicines and insurance cover.
The campaign crafted by Gehlot and team this time is different from the high-voltage electioneering of the party in 2017. There is a conscious effort to prevent the election from turning into a Congress versus Modi contest. While avoiding attacks on Modi, the party is targeting the BJP's state leaders. The party also wants to steer clear of the debate on hindutva and communal polarisation.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 04, 2022-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 04, 2022-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
