OdishaPlus Bureau
Even as the results for the 2019 Lok Sabha election are trickling in, questions are likely to be raised over Rahul Gandhi’s presidentship of the Congress. Early Thursday Lok Sabha counting trends show the BJP is on its ascendancy while the Congress party is moribund. Even after five years, the Congress seems to be where it was. The Congress is being seen winning just fifty seats on its own.
In the 2014 elections, the Congress had got just 44 seats. It had to even forfeit the opposition status. It seems this time too the Congress is losing the status of opposition. As per Lok Sabha rules, a party needs ten percent of the total number of seats of the Lok Sabha in order to become the opposition party in the lower house.
Historic Failure
For the Congress which ruled the country for more than sixty years and was the only political outfit in the country to rule the centre, winning just fifty seats consecutively in two Lok Sabha elections is nothing sort of a historic failure. In contrast, the BJP which had won just two seats in 1980 had notched up its tally to 282 in 2014 and this time round the party is winning more number of seats. All this means that in India’s politics Rahul-led Congress is on the wane and its revival is out of question.
What that signifies is that in the coming days,Rahul’s ability to lead the party will be severally on test. If the May 23 trends come out true and Rahul finally loses to Smriti Irani,it will be difficult for the Congress continue to exist. Besides Rahul,some of his young brigade like Jyotirditya Scindia,Milind Deora ,Vaibhab Gehlot too are trailing. In this backdrop, the leadership of the Congress is slipping into a big fissure.
Voting trends also show that the Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had virtually no effect on the voters.Priyanka was made the General Secretary of the party just before the elections with eastern UP in charge. Also, Scindia was put in charge of western Uttar Pradesh.In both these regions Congress candidates are seen losing. Even Sonia Gandhi is trailing. As trends show, 2019 elections have given a big blow to the Congress party.