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New Delhi, October 26 (IANS) The results of Bihar Assembly elections are going to be declared on November 14, but the politics before that has already tarnished the image of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Bihar politics has long been seen as a mirror reflecting the emerging national narrative. It reflects the emotions of the grassroots as well as a leader’s ability to deal with emotions and situations. This election, in particular, is becoming a major indicator of the country’s political direction. The signals from the ground are clear – and hard to ignore.
It seems that the Grand Alliance (Grand Alliance) has finally got its house in order, declaring Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate and, surprisingly, naming Mukesh Sahni as the deputy CM face. The opposition alliance is now trying to demonstrate unity and purpose for the final outcome, but within it an unspoken verdict has already been pronounced.
That internal decision should deeply concern the Congress party and especially Rahul Gandhi. The grand alliance has effectively sidelined the Gandhi family, who had hoped to play a leading role in the Bihar elections and use that platform to challenge the BJP-led government at the Centre.
But the environment never came in his favor.
Instead, it turned the Grand Alliance into a storm that finally showed the Congress – and Rahul Gandhi – their true place at the top of the pecking order.
Rahul Gandhi took out the much-publicized ‘Voters’ Rights Yatra’ in Bihar for 16 days from August 17 to September 1. Designed as a moral crusade to “protect the vote”, it was aimed at promoting a movement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Gandhi directly attacked the PM, using slogans like “vote thief” and “vote theft” to garner support.
He traveled 1,300 kilometers across 25 of the 38 districts of Bihar, covering 110 assembly constituencies. With the slogan “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhor” he walked on dusty roads, drove motorcycles and even had an opposition Chief Minister accompanying him in an open jeep.
Perhaps he imagined that the campaign could echo the historic JP movement of 1974, which began as a student-led rebellion against misgovernance and corruption in Bihar.
However, the 16-day campaign proved to be more of a political excursion than mass awakening. The crowd was small and enthusiasm was also limited. At times, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was seen guiding Rahul during the visit – while simultaneously asserting his own political personality.
For Rahul, it was a “vote-stealing” crusade, but for Tejashwi, it was an opportunity to understand the real mood of the people. And the mood was unambiguous: voters were not buying Rahul Gandhi’s story.
They knew that their voting rights were intact and there was no anger on the streets. If people really felt that their votes were being stolen, Bihar would have stood up in protest. This did not happen.
Rahul Gandhi probably believed that his “vote chor” activism would make him Bihar’s new mass hero, but Tejashwi and other coalition partners understood the situation differently.
Their reaction was telling: the Indian faction failed to reach an amicable seat-sharing arrangement and refused to bow to Rahul’s brand of activism.
Eventually, the seven-party Grand Alliance went along with the ideas of the other six partners and put the Congress in its place. Rahul Gandhi was conspicuously absent from the crucial October 23 press conference, where the alliance revealed its strategy. Tejashwi Yadav featured prominently in the banner of the event – but Rahul Gandhi was nowhere to be seen.
What Bihar has seen in the last one month should serve as a warning to the Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular. Whatever the election results on November 14, one fact is already clear: His own allies have sent him a message.
Rahul’s “vote-stealing” campaign has failed to resonate with Bihar voters and even within his alliance. Tejashwi Yadav understood this early and increasingly focused on topics that really connect with voters, such as law and order and employment.
Having sided with Rahul in the early stages of the campaign, Tejashwi quietly dropped any mention of voter fraud or electoral irregularities. Instead, he started making populist promises aimed at instilling hope among the people – such as his pledge to provide a government job to every household in Bihar.
Elections often bring big promises, but this has put Rahul Gandhi in an uncomfortable position, perhaps for the first time in his political career. It is already known that Congress suffered its worst defeat under his leadership, and the decline continues.
The message from Bihar is also clear: Personal attacks on Prime Minister Modi – or his family – do not win votes. The sooner Rahul Gandhi understands this, the better will be his chances of political survival.
(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at Deepika.b@ians.in)
–IANS
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