The glaring absence of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Congress colours at Rahul Gandhi’s headline-grabbing roadshow in Wayanad on Wednesday appeared to have come back to haunt the United Democratic Front (UDF) in more ways than one.
To its chagrin, the UDF seemed to have discerned that the political optics of absence can have a bigger, not necessarily a welcome, impact than presence in electoral politics, be it party colours or high-profile personalities.
A sea of IUML and Congress streamers heralded Mr. Gandhi’s first electoral foray into Wayanad in 2019. The contrast could not have been more stark for the incumbent MP on his second sally into the Lok Sabha constituency in 2024.
In 2019, BJP trollers falsely portrayed the multitude of IUML’s green and crescent streamers that heralded Mr Gandhi as Pakistan’s national flag.
The post went viral on social media and arguably spread a wrong and damaging perception about Congress’s nationalist credentials.
Hence, the UDF seemed chary of stepping again on the Sangh Parivar’s same “misinformation minefield” in 2024. It purportedly forsook IUML and Congress flags for placards featuring Mr. Gandhi.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spotlighted the absence of IUML pennants at Mr. Gandhi’s rally in Wayanad. “The Congress coveted IUML votes but is abashed to be seen alongside its closest ally’s banners”, he said.
The LDF also implied that the Congress kept away its tri-colour pennants from Mr. Gandhi’s rally as a reconciliatory gesture towards the IUML that stashed away its flags, reportedly at the former’s request.
The ruling front has cast the Congress as a pale imitation of the BJP and alleged that it feared that the image of Mr. Gandhi cocooned in IUML colours would perhaps alienate conservative Hindu and Christian voters in Kerala and beyond.
IUML State general secretary P.M.A. Salam sharply retorted that Mr. Vijayan was attacking the UDF to save himself from looming central investigations.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that Mr.Vijayan sought to stoke controversy over IUML colours as the Sangh Parivar did in 2019.
Campaigning in Wayanad, Union Minister Smriti Irani also poked fun at the UDF’s arguable faux pas by suggesting that Mr. Gandhi might have found it awkward to be spotted amid IUML flags.
It seems that the visibility and invisibility of leaders and symbols can sometimes manifest as strengths or weaknesses for political parties locked in electoral power play.
