Perhaps sensing an imminent defeat in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi appeared in a damage control mode in his press conference today. In an attempt to strike a reconciliation with the estranged regional parties, Rahul reiterated his party’s relegated role of being a vote-cutter in Uttar Pradesh with a singular purpose of defeating the BJP.
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Congress chief added that defeating the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is his party’s first priority. His party’s second priority is to push Congress ideology among the masses in UP and third priority being forming a state government in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. Rahul also expressed that ideologically Mayawati, Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee and Mulayam Singh are all on the same page as the Congress party.
In past too Rahul Gandhi had iterated that Congress party’s role in Uttar Pradesh is that of a ‘vote-cutter’. Rahul Gandhi had conceded that the Congress party had fielded candidates across the state of Uttar Pradesh, even in places where it is least likely to win, in order to cut into the BJP votes. Rahul Gandhi had then said, “Wherever we have strong candidates in UP, we’ll fight for our space. Places where we have weaker candidates, we’ll ensure that the BJP candidate doesn’t win and a secular candidate is elected.”
Before this, Congress General Secretary Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi had aired similar comments. She stated that Congress has put up candidates across Uttar Pradesh to cut into BJP votes. However, she quickly backtracked on her statement saying Congress candidates are fielded to defeat BJP.
Though the Mahagathbandhan leaders had slammed Congress for its arrogance, it is widely speculated that Congress might join the Mahagathbandhan depending upon the post-poll scenario. This was even confirmed by Congress advisor and mentor to Rahul Gandhi, Sam Pitroda. This explains Rahul Gandhi’s sudden need for warming up to the Mahagathbandhan leaders. However, Rahul’s utterances even before the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections reveal the despondency set in the Congress party.