Will Congress bring back its dominance in 2022? The Congress Party has been an old name in Indian politics. The new year will decide the fate of Congress and the Gandhi family. Seven state assembly elections are scheduled for the year 2022. It includes Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Punjab.
The Congress is the main opponent in Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat. It has to defend its government in Punjab and make efforts to win in Uttar Pradesh. So, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is conducting an active campaign in Uttar Pradesh for Congress to help her party win a respectable number of seats. Her campaign is focused on Women’s Empowerment.
Since there are more vital opponents in UP, the main challenge for the Congress party lies in other states. If we take a look at the internal politics of Congress, then it’s clear either the Gandhi Family should bring results for Congress or make way for others.
The Rahul Gandhi Factor:
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are considered the future of the Gandhi family and the Congress Party. Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi seems to be missing from the ripe political situation surrounding the upcoming polls.
Just as the winter session of Parliament was being held, he rushed to an undisclosed foreign country. There is speculation that he has gone to Italy to celebrate Christmas and New Year with his grandmother. For now, there is no news about his return plans. Consequently, the Congress party has defended his trip as a family tradition.
His frequent foreign trips prompted TMC Chief Mamta Banerjee to address him as a non-resident politician. Also, It has given the opponents of the Congress Party, particularly the BJP, a chance to criticize him. The Congress Party’s Punjab campaign was scheduled to begin in Punjab’s Moga with a rally by Rahul Gandhi, but that has been postponed now.
Will Congress be able to take another defeat in 2022?
In contrast to the absence of Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister is more often seen at rallies and other political campaigns. His events are played on a loop on television, and he manages to attract the attention of the viewers.
The challenge of elections in the new year with the absence of the leader is a difficulty for the Congress Party. So, will Congress be able to take another defeat in 2022?
It will be a big challenge for the Gandhi Family to win back Punjab and form a government in Uttarakhand. Congress will need to score decent numbers in Manipur, UP, and Goa elections to save its hopes for the future.
We can say the results could be a deciding factor in the Gandhi family’s future in the Congress Party. If Congress wins the two states, the Gandhi family will have a grip over the party. On the other hand, if the party loses, it can trigger an internal conflict within the party.
Signs of triggering internal conflict and disintegration in the Party:
There are hints of rebellion in the party by senior leaders. Firstly, Ghulam Nabi Azad, a senior Congress leader, has been adding to the turmoil in the J & K Congress. Many are saying that he might start his own regional party in the state and is just waiting for the results of the 2022 elections.
Secondly, even a group of senior leaders in the Congress wrote an open letter to party President Sonia Gandhi over their concerns for the party and its leadership. Thirdly, in Haryana, Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda can begin his regional party. Fourthly, DK Sivakumar in Karnataka is another leader who can rebel against the party. In short, these are dispersed hints. It is an indication of the trouble brewing in different states for the Congress party.
Will Congress campaign for the polls without a CM Face?
Surprisingly, the Gandhi Family is dealing with the internal turmoil in the party with casualness. In particular, in the states of Punjab and Uttarakhand, which are politically significant for the Party. There are rising tensions between CM Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Amidst, the internal hostility, the party might go into the polls without a CM face. If it tries to put up a Chief Ministerial face, it will add fuel to the unrest in Punjab Congress. There is a sense of inability to solve these differences that have seemed to take away the opportunity for the party to win.
On the other hand, the Party tensions in Uttarakhand are on the rise. The tallest Party leader Harish Rawat feels that his role is being undermined by the Party and Gandhi Family. The differences date back to when he sided with the late Jitendra Prasad when he challenged Sonia Gandhi for the Party President post in 2000. Eventually, he came to the Sonia Gandhi Camp. Still, the long memory of the incident is a reason to look towards him unfavourably. He was overlooked twice before 2014 when he finally became the CM of Uttarakhand.
If the Gandhis intend to hold onto their grip on the Congress Party then it will have to produce results in upcoming polls. Or else, the rising internal conflict might get out of hand. At the same time, it’s a crucial year for the Congress leadership to get back to its old grip on Indian Politics.
Also Checkout: Can the Election Commission decide on postponement of elections?
