Congress sources: Decision on PM only after 2019 results; Rahul Gandhi back in race
Rahul Gandhi
Many in the Congress had felt that the talk of Rahul not being interested in the PM's post was akin to ceding space to the regional players and to the BJP.
Highly-placed sources in the Congress party told WION Friday that a decision on who will be prime minister — should the opposition win the elections — will be made only after the 2019 election results are out.
The sources added that neither Congress President Rahul Gandhi nor any of his associates had ever indicated that he is not interested in the position of prime minister. The sources said that ultimately, the question of who will be PM will depend on the number of seats a party wins. Many in the Congress had felt that the talk of Rahul not being interested in the PM's post was akin to ceding space to the regional players and to the BJP.
The sources added that the party has reached a strategic understanding with the principal regional parties in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The three states together account for 168 of the Lok Sabha's 545 seats. The sources also said the SP and BSP are willing to accommodate the Congress in UP in many more seats other than the Gandhi pocket boroughs of Rai Barelli and Amethi. The Congress feels it should be accommodated in a minimum of 15 seats.
The sources said the broad opposition alliance may not include the Aam Aadmi Party in 2019. A section of senior leaders wish to have an electoral understanding with the AAP but Delhi state Congress in-charge Ajay Maken is vehemently opposed to the idea. The sources said that in all probability, Rahul Gandhi will go by the state unit’s advice.
The sources added that most of the alliances are for the short term since in the long term, the Congress would like to go it alone.
The Congress feels its primary job in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is to defeat the BJP-RSS combine which has acquired hegemonic status in the Indian politics. The opposition "mahagathbandhan" or grand alliance stems from the reality that no single party can defeat the BJP on its own.
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That said, the Congress feels 2019 will be another 2004 moment for the BJP which had met then with an unexpected defeat by the Sonia Gandhi-led UPA.
The sources said the Congress understands the BJP's strength but does not agree that the RSS-BJP combine is undefeatable. It was also pointed out in the conversation that the Congress wishes to have a cadre but does not wish to emulate the RSS as an organisation.