Congress high command organised a high-level meeting right before the big day. There was contemplation and discussion about the next move. Despite the fact that Congress had claimed victory in the Lok sabha elections, it is taking extensive measures to safeguard its top leader Rahul Gandhi from facing a potential third defeat, even prior to the announcement of the election results.
On Sunday, the Congress party devised a strategy wherein, if they were to lose the election, they would attribute the blame to the Modi government and take their case to the people nationwide. The Congress party dismissed the exit polls as false. Should the election results align with the exit polls, it would mark Rahul Gandhi’s third consecutive defeat, making him the first Congress leader to face such a series of losses under his leadership.
This outcome would likely escalate issues for his mother, Sonia Gandhi, within the party, sparking discussions and whispered calls for leadership to be handed over to Priyanka Gandhi. The events of June 4 are poised to be significant for both the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi.
Following the defeat in 2019, Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the presidency, blaming party leaders and reprimanding them during the working committee meeting. Although he is not currently the president, Rahul Gandhi took charge of the entire election campaign himself this time around. He personally pursued issues such as threats to the constitution and the potential abolition of reservation policies. He assembled a team of his choosing, which included trusted aides such as organization general secretary KC Venugopal, media head Jairam Ramesh, some NGO activists, and selected YouTubers. One notable addition to this group was Yogendra Yadav, a new friend and advisor to Rahul Gandhi, who runs an NGO and has actively campaigned for a Congress government. If the Congress party were to emerge victorious, Yadav would likely become even closer to Rahul Gandhi.
Several YouTubers, along with Yadav, have expressed confidence that Congress would secure a majority well beyond expectations. These YouTubers played a significant role in the Congress victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. They share Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Prime Minister Modi and believe in their cause.
Interestingly, there is little discussion among these YouTubers about Rahul Gandhi’s organizational approach or his interactions with party leaders and workers.
One of the strategies, this time the congress used for propaganda was social media as the congress no more finds the country’s media reliable. Somewhere, congress feels that the media is corrupt and can be manipulated easily. The entire Congress feels that social media will bring victory instead of the face and the organization. What will happen will be known today.
However, the Congress party engineered a situation last Sunday to shield Rahul Gandhi from blame by shifting responsibility for any defeat onto the government. Rahul Gandhi’s level of seriousness about the elections became apparent from his statement on that Sunday when journalists inquired about the expected number of seats. Quoting a song by Punjab singer Musa Wala, he jokingly responded with “295 seats.”
Additionally, National President Mallikarjun Kharge was seen asking state presidents in front of the media about their projected seat counts. These projections tended to be exaggerated, indicating a potential strategy to allege fraud if the party were to lose, as most state presidents’ projections exceeded the majority threshold. Rahul Gandhi himself fixed the number at 295 seats.
Further complicating matters, Jairam Ramesh, a key figure in the election process, has accused the government of intimidating collectors. This suggests that the Congress party is fully prepared to shift blame onto the government if they lose the election results on June 4th, ensuring that Rahul Gandhi is not held accountable for any defeat.