UP; will the congress make it? There is a possibility , provided the sister and the brother unitedly work together. |
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By R. Bhakther Solomon |
Beginning: Things are now in the fast track mode for the election in UP. Ten days are left for the first phase of voting. The entire country is looking forward to the result. The outcome is bound to throw few conclusions as to who would win the next Parliamentary elections, whenever that election is held. There are indications from the ground that the Congress party has nothing to lose but to gain only. How much it will gain is the speculation now. Will it emerge as the single largest party in the state? Will it cross the 99 seats mark? If it gets a three digit mark, will it form the Government on its own or will it try to rope in SP or even seek the support of BSP to form the government? These are few questions which are upper most in the minds of poll analysts/ poll pundits. No doubt, the Congress party is now ahead of other parties in the campaigning.
Sister appeal. Should Priyanka confine herself only to two MP constituencies or should she intensively and extensively work in the state? In case she/ the congress party decides to field her, what will happen to the poll out come? This is what is giving sleepless nights to may politicians. There is a feeling from many parts of the state that if Priyanka makes a whirl wind tour of the entire state, the party might get about 35-50 additional seats in the state.
Rahul Gandhi, so far does not want her to travel beyond the two MP seats which he and his mother Sonia represent in the Parliament. This could be keeping in consideration her security or he may not want someone in the party to take credit for the victory of the party. Even if Congress gets about 75 seats he would like to be honoured for the same. Nothing wrong. But in politics one must adopt give and take policy.
CM Candidate from the Congress: So far he
or the Congress party has not declared who will become the CM of the state, if for some miraculous reasons the party emerges as the biggest party. To set things in the proper order, I would recommend and appeal to Rahul to declare publically that he would be the CM candidate from the Congress and contest from an assembly seat. This will give the party a big boost and he can then invite his sister also to canvass for the
party beyond the limited areas. To start with, the party will have to take two important strategic decisions.
First, induct Priyanka into the entire state canvassing engagement and then most importantly, announce Rahul as the CM candidate. These two annoucements will revitalise the spirit of the party workers from the length and breadth of the state. No wonder, there is every chance of the party emerging as the single largest party in the state. Who knows it mighty also get the needed simple majority.
Raghul as the CM of UP. After the last Lok Sabha election when the ministry formation was seriously talked about, many young and the old in the party felt that Rahul should either become the PM or at least an important cabinet minister. During that time I felt that the time has not come for him to become a minister, leave alone becoming PM of the country. Though a few columns I have said that he should resist the temptation to become the minister, instead try and work out a strategy to become the CM of the largest state in the country , namely UP. I felt that this would give him enough apprenticeship in the art of statecraft and then later he can move to the centre. The time has now come for him to become more pro- active in the governance of the UP. Will he take the responsibility or shy away?
