Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ concluded in Patna on Monday, having started on 17 August. Accompanied as he was by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and representatives of other parties, he witnessed good public turnout at his public rallies. However, how much of this is going to translate into votes come election time is yet to be known.
The idea basically was to raise an issue that potentially would attract the attention of the people. Caste census, unemployment, minority persecution, government serving interests of capitalists, etc., were cards that had already been played. The yatra further upped the ante by casting doubts upon the impartiality of the Election Commission. How much the people of Bihar are open to such a narrative is doubtful, going by the feedback so far. In fact, loss of ECI’s credibility, if it happens, would only deter Congress and RJD supporters from exercising their franchise. Also, the public pronouncements by Rahul have not matched his party’s official position against the Election Commission, which has been strongly backed by the Supreme Court.
Another question that faces political analysts is whether the Yatra has further established Rahul Gandhi as the opposition candidate for the Prime Minister’s post. Considering that Congress victories in UP and Bihar have come on the back of Samajwadi Party and RJD support, it would require the quid pro quo of Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav becoming chief ministers of their respective home states. Also, in the overall scenario, do other regional parties identify with the present Congress ideology, which seeks greater polarisation in national politics to the extent of even questioning the constitutional institutions?
As analysts have pointed out, the Congress has a dismal record where it is in a straight fight with the BJP. It is only in states ruled by the regional parties that much of the opposition victories have been recorded. So, unless Congress begins winning against the BJP on its own, what sense does it make to hand over the top job in the country to Rahul? Would that not strengthen his party in their own states at their cost?
The truth is that having lost its traditional vote base, the Congress is attempting to become the voice of the OBCs. That is a three-way contest with the BJP and caste-based parties also in contention. So, despite all the drama around his various yatras, what has Rahul actually done to make a claim to power?
