Elections: In India, the Congress party is regaining momentum

By doubling its number of seats after the legislative elections, the Congress, the main opposition party in India, defied the polls which predicted a crushing defeat for the former dominant party against the nationalist Narendra Modi.

The famous party of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty had become a shadow of itself after suffering two humiliating defeats in 2014 and 2019 against Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

No majority

Polls had predicted a new collapse for the party of Rahul Gandhi, the heir to the first Indian political dynasty. The main opposition group should obtain 99 seats in the lower house which has 543, almost double compared to 2019.

On Tuesday, in New Delhi, enthusiastic supporters waved, to the rhythm of drumbeats, giant flags at the headquarters of the Congress party, which dominated Indian political life for almost half a century after independence.

For the first time in ten years, the BJP will not have an absolute majority and will have to rely on the allies of its coalition. Congress supporters attribute this performance to the “astute” leadership of Rahul Gandhi, 53, the party’s leading figure.

“Promises kept”

Son, grandson and great-grandson of prime ministers, “Rahul worked hard day and night. He deserves all the honors. He single-handedly lifted the party,” says Avneesh Jain, a party member. “At this rate, we will certainly win the next elections,” he wants to believe.

Rahul Gandhi’s political ambitions were hampered in particular by the dozen complaints filed by members of the BJP against him. He was briefly banned from parliament last year after being convicted of defamation, and his party’s bank accounts were frozen by the taxman this year.

Determined, Rahul Gandhi continued to attack Narendra Modi and the BJP, denouncing their agenda of “division” which, according to him, seeks to marginalize the country’s Muslim minority, numbering 200 million people.

In its electoral program, the party promised to pay 100,000 rupees (1,100 francs) each year to each poor Indian family and jobs for young people, which seems to have won over voters.

“Signs of renewal”

Rahul Gandhi was re-elected to Parliament with a lead of more than 364,000 votes in the southern constituency of Wayanad and more than 389,000 votes for the seat of Rae Bareli, in northern India.

Rajeev Shukla, a Congress parliamentarian, attributes the party’s revival to the trip that Rahul Gandhi made last year across the country to meet the people. “The long walk did wonders. “He got in touch with people on the ground, which made all the difference.”

According to VS Chandrasekar, former editor-in-chief of the Press Trust of India news agency, the Congress results show that it remains a pillar of India’s political opposition. “Congress is showing signs of revival, which is good for democracy. India needs a strong opposition,” says VS Chandrasekar.

“The BJP government got off lightly due to the weakness of the opposition in Parliament,” he emphasizes, but “now that the opposition has more than 200 members, the government will be subjected to strong constraints.

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AFP

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