Suspense over the Congress pick for Rae Bareli ended with ex-party chief Rahul Gandhi finally agreeing to contest from his family’s bastion. The seat, which until February was held by his mother Sonia Gandhi, has remained with the Congress since 1952 barring three elections – 1977, (Janata Party), 1996 and 1999 (BJP).
Mr. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Kerala’s Wayanad seat which went to the polls in the second phase on April 26. Opting out of a rematch for Amethi with BJP minister Smriti Irani, Mr. Rahul Gandhi will be the fourth Gandhi to represent Rae Bareli if he wins. The other Gandhis who have won from Rae Bareli include — Feroze Gandhi (1952, 1957), Indira Gandhi (1967, 1971), and Sonia Gandhi (2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2019). Mr. Rahul Gandhi faces an uphill battle for the seat from BJP’s candidate and Uttar Pradesh Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who had reduced Ms. Sonia Gandhi’s victory margin from 3.52 lakh votes in 2014 to 1.67 lakh in 2019. Jawaharlal Nehru’s nephew Arun Nehru, who was close to Rajiv Gandhi, represented Rae Bareli in 1980 and 1984.
As the Wayanad MP fights to save the Gandhis’ last bastion, here’s a look at his tumultuous political career.
2004: Entry into politics
Born into India’s most famous political dynasty — the Nehru-Gandhi clan — Mr. Rahul Gandhi entered active politics only in 2004 at the age of 34. The delay in foraying into Congress politics was mainly attributed to the effect the assassination of his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) and father (Rajiv Gandhi) had on him. Despite speculations over Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra’s candidacy from her father’s old bastion Amethi, it was Mr. Rahul Gandhi who made his poll debut from the Uttar Pradesh seat.
During his campaign in April 2004, Mr. Rahul Gandhi gave his first interview to foreign media and made his political views public. Speaking to the BBC, he said, “My sister and I believe that what is going on in India today, the division of India along caste lines, along religious lines, is absolutely wrong,” adding, “India absorbs things, India’s not a divisive place. There will be a backlash towards this [divisive] ideology.” He won his first Lok Sabha election by a margin of 2.9 lakh votes.
2004-2007: First stint as MP
During the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) rule, Mr. Rahul Gandhi opted to remain out of the government, not holding any ministerial post. Apart from being part of Parliamentary committees, he often protested with his fellow Congress MPs against parliamentary disruptions. He also campaigned with his sister in Rae Bareli for his mother’s re-election in 2006. Ms. Sonia Gandhi had resigned as an MP and as the National Advisory Council’s chairperson in 2006 after being accused of holding an office of profit. She was re-elected by an overwhelming margin of 4,17,888 votes.
In April-May 2007, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was one of the Congress star campaigners for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. However, the campaign failed to make any impact as Congress won only 22 of the 393 seats it contested on — a marginal decrease from the 25 seats it won in the previous election in 2002. Since 1985, when Congress was last in power in U.P., its seat-share has been diminishing gradually to its current tally of two seats.
2007: Takes charge of IYC and NSUI
Taking a larger role in party politics, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was appointed as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and included in the party’s top decision body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He was also made chair of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) – a post he holds till date. Between 2007 and 2009, Mr. Rahul Gandhi travelled across India holding membership drives and bolstering the party’s strength. According to Congress, membership of both wings grew from 2 lakh to 25 lakh.
Seen as the party’s ‘youth face’, several young scions like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Sandeep Dikshit, Deepender Hooda, Gaurav Gogoi, Jitin Prasada, Manish Tewari, and Priya Dutt, and other NSUI leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu, Harender Mirdha, Rajiv Shukla, Kodikunnil Suresh, Madhu Goud Yashki, Abdul Mannan, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Alka Lamba,and Meenakshi Natarajan, were inducted into the AICC as secretaries.
2008: Focus on farmers
Highlighting the distress of farmers across India, Mr. Rahul Gandhi visited a woman named Kalavati Bandurkar in Jalka district in Yavatmal; her husband Parshuram had committed suicide in 2005 as he was unable to repay farm loans. After she allegedly threatened to follow suit if she received no relief from the Centre, Mr. Rahul Gandhi visited her home and assured her assistance.
Three days later, in his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha during a trust vote for the UPA government, he said, “Kalavati is a woman with nine children whose husband committed suicide three years ago because he was dependent only on cotton.” He added that by supplementing her income with other crops and buffaloes, she was dealing with the issue. Backing the Centre’s nuclear deal with the US, he said that nuclear energy would provide electricity to such farmers making them independent of rains. His visit and mention in Parliament stirred Kalavati to file for nomination from Wani in Maharashtra Assembly polls, but she later withdrew.
During his first term as MP, he averaged an attendance of 63%, asked three questions and participated in five debates, as per the PRS. He has often been criticised by BJP for his low parliamentary participation and frequent trips abroad.
2009: Spearheading UPA’s re-election campaign
Spearheading the re-election campaign of the UPA, Mr. Rahul Gandhi retained Amethi, winning it by a margin of over 3 lakh votes. The UPA itself was re-elected with a bigger margin, with Congress winning 206 seats. Several young candidates like Mr. Prasada, Mr. Pilot, Shruti Choudhry, Mr. Bittu, Mr. Scindia, Milind Deora, and Mr. Tewari, picked by Mr. Rahul Gandhi, emerged victorious, as per Economic Times. The second Manmohan Singh Ministry too had several young Ministers like Mr. Scindia, Mr. Tewari, Mr. Pilot, Mr. Prasada, Mr. Deora, Ajay Maken, R.P.N. Singh, and Selja Kumari. Mr. Rahul Gandhi was also lauded for making Congress go solo in Uttar Pradesh which paid rich dividends, with it bagging 21 of the 80 seats.
Emboldened by the UPA’s electoral success, Mr. Rahul Gandhi undertook a revamp of the IYC, holding organisational elections in Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jharkhand and Tripura. He also underwent several padayatras across India to interact with the youth, women, fishermen and farmers. IYC’s membership continued to soar in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu — places where Mr. Rahul Gandhi visited.
He also promoted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGS), the UPA’s rural employment scheme, by participating in a village development programme in Pinjra, Rajasthan. Furthermore, he launched the Aam Aadmi ka Sipahi programme to raise awareness among young voters about various policies like MGNREGS and Right to Information (RTI). He also travelled in Mumbai’s local trains in 2010 to stay in touch with the public, vexing his security personnel.
2010-2014: Elevated to Congress VP
Continuing his support for farmers’ issues, Mr. Rahul Gandhi took up the issue of farmers resisting a land acquisition bid by the Mayawati government in Bhatta Parsaul, U.P. Staging an indefinite dharna in support of the farmers demand in the village, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was arrested in a dramatic manner by the U.P. Police. After a few hours, he was released.
In September 2013, he was elevated as vice-president of Congress. While this was seen as a precursor to his stint as party chief, his actions as vice-president were controversial. In the same month of his appointment, he harshly criticised the Manmohan Singh government’s ordinance to shield convicted lawmakers from disqualification. In a meet-the-press programme on September 27, 2013, he made a brief appearance and told reporters that the ordinance was ‘complete nonsense’, adding, “It should be torn up and thrown away”.
The effect was his critique was instantaneous. On October 2, the Union Cabinet rescinded the controversial ordinance. While several UPA allies like Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) had supported the move, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was reportedly unhappy over the flip-flop over the policy.
During his second stint as Lok Sabha MP, Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary attendance was lower than before. Averaging only 43%, well below the national average of 76%, Mr. Rahul Gandhi attended only two debates on the Lokpal Bill and asked no questions, according to PRS.
Heading into the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the UPA was marred by several scandals — the 2G spectrum scam, the Commonwealth Games scam and the massive India Against Corruption (IAC) movement led by social activist Anna Hazare. Bogged down by anti-incumbency sentiments and the rising Modi wave, Mr. Rahul Gandhi led Congress to its worst performance in any general election, reducing the party to a mere 44 seats. He managed to retain his seat in Amethi albeit with a reduced margin of 1.07 lakh votes as BJP’s Smriti Irani gave him a tough fight. Taking responsibility for the defeat, he offered to resign from his party post, but this was rejected by the CWC.
2014-2017: Opposition stint
Now in the Opposition, Mr. Rahul Gandhi tore into the Narendra Modi government for its pro-rich, pro-corporate policies, even ridiculing Prime Minister Modi’s monogrammed suit with his name printed in thin stripes. At a rally in Ramlila Maidan in April 2015, he said, “This is a suit-boot government.” Echoing the same in Parliament, Mr. Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Modi government had frozen minimum support price (MSP) for crops, diminished agricultural credit flow and not offered any relief to farmers hit by unseasonal rains.
Arranging a grand rally of farmers, Mr. Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of attempting to weaken land acquisition laws at the behest of businessmen. He vowed to stop the new land acquisition ordinance passed by the BJP government if tabled in Parliament. The Centre was forced let the ordinance to lapse and did not introduce a fresh bill on land acquisition. The move was a seen as a major victory as party workers urged Mr. Rahul Gandhi to take up the mantle as president.
However, the Congress’ newly-gained victory did not last long. In 2017, roping in political strategist Prashant Kishor, Mr. Rahul Gandhi stitched an alliance with Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav for the U.P. Assembly elections, dubbing the duo as U.P. ke ladke. The results were disastrous, with Congress winning only seven seats and the SP being reduced to 47 seats. The BJP, which single-handedly won 312 seats in the 403-member Assembly, chose Yogi Adityanath – a monk heading the Gorakhnath temple— as its CM pick.
Fortunes turned for the better for Mr. Gandhi as he steered Congress to its best-ever electoral performance in the Gujarat State polls since 1995, almost breaching Mr. Modi’s turf. With young leaders like Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakor stirring up the Patel reservation issue, Congress also mounted a massive campaign against Mr. Modi’s demonetisation policy and implementation of the Good and Services Tax (GST). As a result, BJP barely scrapped a majority of 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress tally soared to 77 seats.
2017-2019: Stint as Congress chief
In December 2017, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was elected as Congress president amid fresh calls for his elevation. In the following year, the Congress’ electoral success was bolstered, with it winning Assembly elections in three Hindi heartland States — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Deftly handling the internal power struggles between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia (M.P.), Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot (Rajasthan) and Bhupesh Baghel and T.S Singh Deo (Chhattisgarh), Mr. Rahul Gandhi appointed Mr. Scindia, Mr. Pilot and Mr. Deo as deputy CMs, avoiding an implosion of the party.
Heading into his first Lok Sabha campaign as party chief, Mr. Rahul Gandhi launched an unsparing attack against the Modi government over discrepancies in its Rafale fighter planes deal. Dubbing the phrase Chowkidar Chor Hai (Watchman is a thief) with reference to Mr. Modi often referring himself as the nation’s watchman, he accused the Centre of allowing accused conmen like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi to flee the country. At a rally, he questioned, “Why do all thieves have Modi surname?” which attracted a criminal defamation case, subsequent conviction and eventually a stay order.
Moreover, his remarks attributing Chowkidar Chor Hai to the Supreme Court attracted a defamation case by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi. Mr. Gandhi was forced to issue an unconditional apology to the apex court.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections awarded Mr. Modi a second term, while Mr. Rahul Gandhi faced defeat in his home seat Amethi to Ms. Irani. He remained a Parliamentarian as he had also opted to contest the polls from Kerala’s Wayanad. With Congress barely winning 52 seats, Mr. Gandhi resigned as party chief in May 2019 — taking responsibility for the poll-drubbing. He also handed over the mantle back to his mother Ms. Sonia Gandhi, who took over as interim-president till 2022 when Mallikarjun Kharge was elected as Congress president.
His third term as MP saw better parliamentary attendance by Mr. Rahul Gandhi. Averaging 52% attendance, he attended 14 debates but asked no questions.
2019- 2021: Rahul Gandhi resigns as party chief, Congress sees mass exits
Stating that ‘no Gandhi family member would be Congress chief,’ Mr. Rahul Gandhi took a backseat in party politics, limiting his tours to Wayanad and southern States. His presence in poll campaigning for subsequent State elections were also limited as the Congress lost State elections in Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Punjab, U.P., Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. Taking a hard stance against cronyism, Mr. Rahul Gandhi has continuously claimed that Mr. Modi has favoured business groups Adani and Ambani over the poor.
Since Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, several young Congress leaders such as Mr. Scindia, Mr. Deora, Mr. Prasada, R.P.N. Singh, and Sushmita Dev and veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Amarinder Singh, Luizinho Faleiro, and Mukul Sangma have left the party citing no plans to revive the party. Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, and Goa were toppled by BJP as several sitting MLAs joined the saffron party allowing it to stake its claim. While the Congress survived one such attempt in Rajasthan, its coalition government in Maharashtra could not survive as both its allies (Shiv Sena and NCP) splintered into factions.
2022-2024: Relaunch with Bharat Jodo Yatra
Amid calls to once again take up the mantle as Congress chief, Mr. Rahul Gandhi refused to do so. The party announced fresh elections in October 2022 and Mr. Kharge emerged as the winner.
Once again jumping into active politics, Mr. Rahul Gandhi launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra – a pan-India journey on foot from September 7, 2022 to January 30, 2023. Protesting BJP’s ‘politics of hate’, unemployment, inflation, and political over-centralisation, Mr. Gandhi was joined by top leaders like Mr. Gehlot, Mr. Baghel, and Digvijaya Singh and allies Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and M.K. Stalin.
Targetting the BJP on polarisation, burdening the poor with price rises, unemployment, and privatisation, Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s speeches struck a chord with the people. A Lokniti survey found that Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s popularity had risen with 42.8% people feeling the Yatra had helped Congress gain support, while 15.8% said they liked Mr. Rahul Gandhi after his yatra. The Congress scion also pipped all other Prime Minister hopefuls in the survey, with 26.8% favouring him over others like Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, and Amit Shah.
In March 2023, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case and slapped with a two-year jail term over his “why do all thieves have Modi surname” comment. A day after the conviction, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification disqualifying Mr. Rahul Gandhi as the Lok Sabha representative from Wayanad. However, four months later, the Supreme Court stayed his conviction, and his membership was restored.
Days after he was restored as Wayanad MP, the Opposition moved a no-confidence motion in a bid to break Mr. Modi’s silence on the ethnic violence in Manipur. In a unsparing attack on Mr. Modi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi roared, “First you sprinkled kerosene in Manipur and now you are sprinkling kerosene in Haryana. You setting fire to the entire country. The Army can bring peace to Manipur in one day, but the government is not deploying it properly,” adding, “Lanka was not burnt by Hanuman but by Ravan’s arrogance”. As the no-trust vote was a mere cosmetic one, Mr. Gandhi led all Opposition members in a walkout during the voting.
The second phase of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai from January 14, 2024 to March 20 was muted and was seen clashing with seat-sharing talks with partners of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The 26-party alliance which was stitched by Congress in July 2023 has splintered due to the party’s reluctance to finalise seat-sharing formula in various States. Several partners like Trinamool Congress and the People’s Democratic Party walked away, accusing the Congress of focusing on State elections and not the Lok Sabha polls.
In the current Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Rahul Gandhi is leading the party’s campaign with five guarantees to the Indian youth – an assured first job, social protection to gig economy workers, anti-paper leak law, assured 30 lakh jobs in government and a targetted youth fund. In its manifesto, Congress has also promised to roll back the Modi government’s laws, probe the electoral bond scheme and scams, curb hate-speeches and communal conflicts, and remove 50% cap on reservations if voted to power. Mr. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly promised to hold a nation-wide caste census, a demand of many parties.
Currently, after filing his nomination from Wayanad as a Lok Sabha candidate, Mr. Rahul Gandhi remained mum about contesting from his bastion Amethi. Despite speculations about his sister Ms. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra’s candidacy from Rae Bareli, Congress has once again chosen to field Rahul Gandhi instead – just like 2004.
