Today, Congress is in power in two southern states — Karnataka and Telangana. Rahul Gandhi is an MP from Kerala, while party president Mallikarjun Kharge is from Karnataka.
History shows that whenever the Gandhis have floundered, South has been their saviour. The most recent case being of Rahul Gandhi where internal assessment of the Grand Old Party had forewarned that he may lose from Amethi. This is why a safe seat was found in Wayanad where it is almost impossible for a Gandhi to lose.
In 1978, Indira Gandhi had won from Chikkamagaluru in the bypoll and in 1980, she tasted victory from Medak in Andhra Pradesh. Sonia Gandhi too opted for Bellary in 1999 in addition to contesting from Amethi. The South bailed them out when they knew that there were slim chances of winning from North India.
So, it comes as no surprise that while campaigning for Telangana, the party and political strategists thought it would be best to make most of the campaign Gandhi-centric — especially around Sonia Gandhi.
Along the lines of Indira ‘amma’, Sonia too faced the same adulation as Sonia ‘amma’ in Telangana — the only state election in which she campaigned. It was Sonia Gandhi who announced the winning six guarantees in the state and issued a message to voters for Telangana and not other poll-bound states.
Sonia Gandhi’s is considered to be the Midas touch and hence, the win is being credited to her.
What many perhaps did not notice was the fact that new chief minister Revanth Reddy arrived for the oath-taking with Sonia Gandhi in an open vehicle. There were multiple messages in this seemingly innocuous gesture.
One, it shows that Gandhis and Sonia ‘amma’ matter. Chances are that during the Lok Sabha polls next year, it’s this image which may be pushed to ensure that Congress does well in southern states to compensate for the poor performance they are dreading in northern India.
Second, it also sends a message to detractors of Revanth Reddy that he has the complete backing of Sonia Gandhi.
Just as Chikkamagaluru, Medak, Bellary and Wayanad helped the Gandhis so far, the party hopes the South will come to its rescue in 2024.
But it brings a risk — the stamp of being relegated to the South which has formidable and powerful allies and foes like YSR Congress, Dmk and the Left in Kerala. Can the Gandhis really depend only on the South?
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