Spotlight on Rahul as campaign wraps up

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

For the first time in many years, Rahul Gandhi has been as visible on campaign trail as he has been in Gujarat, home state of PM Narendra Modi.

As the canvassing for the high-stake poll wrapped up today, one thing was clear — Rahul would have to take ownership for the result, notwithstanding its nature. His personal confidence was there for everyone to see in Ahmadabad today when he declared that the Gujarat election result would be “stunning”. But party insiders are keeping fingers crossed for the simple reason that for at least this one election they put all their eggs in one basket — that of Rahul.

Barring ex-PM Manmohan Singh, who made a few appearances in Gujarat and cornered the PM on GST and demonetisation, other veterans were nearly invisible. It was Rahul who steered the aggressive three-month campaign in the state single handedly taking on the PM and flagging gaps in his “Gujarat development model”.

Congress’ tallest Gujarat leader, Ahmed Patel, remained low profile and was in the news mainly when the PM attacked him, insinuating that he was Congress pick for the state’s chief ministerial candidate.

Patel had recently embarrassed the BJP by bagging a RS seat from Gujarat in the face of tremendous political odds. But the powerful political adviser to outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Patel, was curiously in the shadows in Gujarat campaign as was Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, another star campaigner in the Congress list of 40.

Sonia did not step out and allowed her son to take the lead. Seniors say Rahul’s dominance in Gujarat is a sign of his leadership.