Anita Katyal | Manifesto fiasco costs Cong dear; BJP forced to lean on Chouhan

Launched with great fanfare and described as a path-breaking document, the Congress Party’s election manifesto has been grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Bharatiya Janata Party has clearly studied the manifesto in great detail and come out with an aggressive strategy to corner the Congress. This is in sharp contrast to the Congress whose members have a cursory knowledge of the manifesto’s contents. On its part, the party has made little effort to acquaint its spokespersons and other key functionaries in the states with the details of the manifesto. Soon after it was released, the party had initially planned to hold press conferences at multiple venues across the country to explain the party’s agenda to the people. But nothing came of it. Also, copies of the manifesto have not been distributed as widely as would be expected. As a result, most party functionaries are ill-equipped to rebut the charges being bandied about by the BJP regarding the Congress plans for redistribution of wealth and minority appeasement.

The low voter turnout in the first phase of the general election has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He was gradually sidelined after last year’s Assembly election after being denied another term in office. Keen to make a mark, Mr Chouhan wanted to contest from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency known to be senior Congress leader Kamal Nath’s stronghold. However, the party denied him the opportunity to emerge as a possible giant killer just in case he did defeat Kamal Nath’s son who is battling it out for a second term. Instead, Mr Chouhan was fielded from his old constituency Vidisha, a safe BJP seat which presented no challenge to him.To make matters worse, the BJP deliberately chose not to deploy him for campaigning though individual candidates did ask Mr Chouhan to address meetings in their constituencies. However, there has been a sea change after the first phase of voting. Realising that the party needs all hands on deck, the BJP has belatedly started involving Mr Chouhan in the poll campaign for the forthcoming phases. The former chief minister is once again in demand for participation in election rallies.

Not just Madhya Pradesh but the low voter turnout in the first phase is also worrying the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh. While this is being attributed to several factors like voter indifference, election fatigue and the heat, there are murmurs in the party that an unhappy Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is not making sufficient efforts to mobilise voters. BJP leaders informally point to the possibility that Yogi Adityanath may be replaced, as was the case with Shivraj Singh Chouhan, if Prime Minister Narendra Modi notches up a spectacular victory in this election. Yogi has emerged as a leader in his own right and is often mentioned as a worthy successor to Mr Modi. This is obviously not acceptable in the present BJP which has room for only one leader. But for Mr Modi to achieve his goal, the BJP has to necessarily improve upon the 62 seats it won in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 for which Yogi’s cooperation is critical. While Yogi is said to be ambivalent, the Thakur community to which he belongs is angry as it feels it has not got its due in the selection of candidates. Well aware that he cannot afford to alienate Yogi, Mr Modi has now taken to praising the chief minister in his public rallies.

The Rajasthan unit of the Congress discovered a new popular campaigner these elections. The state unit president Govind Singh Dotasra surprised everyone with his oratorical skills and ability to connect with the people in the recently-concluded poll campaign. Though Mr Dotasra is a three-time legislator and has been in the Congress for nearly three decades, not many were acquainted with this side of his personality. This was not surprising as former chief minister Ashok Gehlot has been a domineering figure in the desert state and has tended to eclipse other Congress leaders till the arrival of his younger colleague Sachin Pilot. Mr Dotasra got an opportunity to campaign extensively this time as Gehlot was preoccupied with his son Vaibhav’s election from Jalore. Mr Pilot, too, concentrated on the Gujjar-dominated areas. Like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, this election also proved lucky for Mr Dotasra who turned out to be a hit with the crowds.

While Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are busy campaigning, a relaxed Sonia Gandhi was spotted last week at the Capital’s India International Centre. Accompanied by Rupika Chawla, wife of the former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla, the former Congress president had dropped in to see an art exhibition. Sonia Gandhi slipped in virtually unnoticed except for a few stray members who took note of her presence. The irony is that a number of Congress functionaries were also present at the IIC at the same time but were busy gossiping over tea in the lounge. They were later fretting about how they had learnt about Sonia Gandhi’s visit only after she had left, the sub-text being that they lost an opportunity to register their presence with her.