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election 2018
Mandate

lenge is how to rebuild the Congress party and face parliament though because this time he contested
BJP, which is cadre-based, organized, with huge from a second seat - Wayanad in Kerala - which he
resources? won. Amethi was a prestige seat from where Sonia
Ironically the Congress under Rahul Gandhi is des- Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had won and Rahul Gandhi
tined to sit in the Opposition for another five long himself had held it for the past 15 years.
years. Another irony is that the party leader would Gandhi has taken full responsibility for the Con-
still not have the tag of Leader of Opposition because gress party’s defeat and has said that it would all be
the party needs to get at least 10 per cent of total seats. discussed in the meeting of the Congress Working
In a House of 542, Congress tally is 52, three short of Committee. He also told the Congress workers, the
its eligibility to earn the status of Leader of Opposi- ones who lost and the ones who won, not to lose hope.
tion. Apart from owning the responsibility of the 2019 “There is no need to be afraid. We will continue to
poll debacle that he did at his press conference, Rahul work hard and we will eventually, win.”
Gandhi has to fix responsibility at all levels of the par- Party workers who have access to Rahul Gandhi
ty for the humiliating defeat. His Communication de- describe him as an honest, intelligent but simple man
partment is partly to be blamed for Congress’ inability who lacks the aggression to take on his rival. Also, the
to communicate the benefits of the NYAY scheme and Gandhi family habit of invoking the sacrifices of the
for giving the narrative of “chowkidar chor hai”. The late Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gan-
issues require urgent attention as Assembly polls of dhi does not work amongst the young voters. What
Maharashtra and Haryana are a few months away. the Congress party needs are a strategist like BJP’s
The truth of 2019 general elections is that Rahul Chanakya, Amit Shah.
Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is
indeed battered and mauled because he lost his own letters@tehelka.com
seat in the family bastion of Amethi and will sit in the

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