Fly on the Wall
Tough road ahead for Rahul Gandhi as future uncertain
After two consecutive humiliating drubbings, Haryana and Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi has reasons to be worried. The Congress has no hope to make its presence felt in the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled to be held in early February 2025. The party was in seventh heaven after its Lok Sabha's stellar performance in June 2024. It had tied up with the AAP in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and it was expected that this arrangement would continue in the years to come. But the Congress became reluctant and now Arvind Kejriwal of AAP has declared that there will be no alliance with the Congress. May be, there is scope for “seat adjustment” in the politically changed environment particularly after the Maharashtra drubbing. There are reports that a resurgent BJP may turn the tables in Delhi where the Rs 40 crore “Sheesh Mahal” (new CM bungalow) has cost dearly to Kejriwal. The Congress is aware that it doesn't have a strong base in Bihar either and is dependent on the RJD which is facing its own legal problems. Bihar Assembly polls are due in November 2025 and the NDA seems to be on a strong wicket. The BJP has reconciled with Nitish Kumar's leadership in the state.
All this has caused a problem for Rahul Gandhi as the Congress will be face-to-face with the BJP in Assam in March 2026. The Congress’s foot soldiers and mid-level leaders in Assam are a worried lot as the party may face a similar fate against the BJP. It is said that infighting within the Assam Congress and failure of Rahul Gandhi to devise a winning strategy in time could be some of the reasons for the party's failure to win back the state. In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala the Congress is not involved in direct fight with the BJP. These states will also go to polls in April-May 2026.
Two Key conditions for Next BJP Chief
With Maharashtra chapter finally over, the BJP will focus on electing its new president in place of present incumbent J P Nadda who is also holding Union Minister for Health and Leader of the Rajya Sabha. In all likelihood, the new BJP chief will be in the saddle within the next two months. The “Sangh Parivar” insiders say that the next BJP chief must meet two key criteria; first being he should be a die-hard RSS Swayamsevak (Volunteer); second being the person should also have the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is essential for the smooth functioning of the party and coordination with the government. After the Lok Sabha poll fiasco where the BJP lost the majority, the voice of the RSS will play a significant role, say these sources. Hence, there has been some delay in picking Nadda's successor.
The
graph of a couple of leaders has sky-rocketed after the recent round
of Assembly elections such as; Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and
Dharmendra Pradhan who were in charge of Maharashtra and Haryana
respectively. Though Modi's another blue-eyed boy Ashwini Vaishnav,
Union Minister for Railways and IT, was also part of formulating
strategy along with Yadav, he is not in the race being a new entrant
into the party. Interestingly, the Yadav and Vaishnaw duo had
also won Madhya Pradesh during the 2023 Assembly polls. In MP, the
BJP won all 29 Lok Sabha seats as well. It's a different matter that
Shivraj Singh Chouhan who was topping the race for the BJP
president's post, lagged behind after the Jharkhand setback. He got a
jolt as the BJP lost Jharkhand though he was incharge along with
Himanta Biswa Sarma for the state Assembly polls. There is also
considerable speculation that a leader from South may
Another Son may rise in Bihar soon !
Worried Janata Dal (U) leaders have begun a hunt for the successor of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the wake of his fading health. The hunt has been accelerated to keep the party united as there is no acceptable second in command in the party. Patna is rife with strong rumours that Nitish Kumar is under extreme pressure to bring his son Nishant Kumar into politics who is facing a huge dilemma as he had always been against the “Parivarwad” (Family promotion) in politics. Nishant who is a software engineer and an alumnus of the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra, maintains a low profile and stays away from political events. The 49-year-old Nishant had categorically stated sometime ago that he had chosen the path of spirituality and was not interested in politics.
He also tried to put to rest speculation when spotted at a market saying he had come to buy an audio set as he wanted to listen to "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" on his mobile phone whose sound is low." Security personnel always accompany him whenever he is out on the streets of Patna. He was also found planting a sapling in a local area sometime ago. The last word on the last son's rise of a veteran politician is yet to be written. But the JD(U) doesn't have options either. Nitish Kumar had burnt the boats with whomsoever he named earlier as his trouble-shooter incharge; be it RCP Singh or others. Lallan Singh, Union Minister and Sanjay Jha, a new darling and national working president of the party are not seen as Nitish's successor either. The demand for his son is aimed to dispel the probability of other leaders aspiring to hold the reins in the event of any eventuality. The upcoming assembly elections in 2025 are crucial for the party.
