Will Narendra Modi-Ashok Gehlot bonhomie affect Congress's Gujarat pitch?

Tribune News Service

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, November 3

Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on-stage bonhomie at the ‘Mangarh Dham Ki Gaurav Gatha’ event on Tuesday affect Congress' Gujarat pitch?

Speculation is rife as the Rajasthan CM is also a senior observer of the Congress for the Gujarat Assembly election.

Though, supporters dismissed his praise for the PM as ‘samanya shishtachaar’ (normal courtesy) for ‘atithi’ (guest). Not just some Congress leaders, independent observers following the Gujarat election also found “interesting” the mutual admiration shared between PM Modi and CM Gehlot.

State Congress leaders say the party could have easily won election in not just 2017 (when it got within the kissing distance of the victory) but in earlier election as well. “But errors and lapses by the senior leadership, their failure to harness issues against the BJP, ensured that the saffron party won. Otherwise, even in the worst of situations, the Congress always managed a decent score as it has a dedicated vote bank come what may,” they say.

In December 2017, the Congress managed to restrict the BJP to 99 seats, its lowest tally in the state in 22 years, winning 77 (Congress’ best performance in two decades) in the 182-member assembly.

However, in the past three years, the Congress lost 12 of its legislators to the BJP, which reduced its strength to 65 and increased BJP’s tally to 111.   

The Gujarat Assembly polls are due this year-end.

The BJP seems to be on a backfoot in the backdrop of the Morbi bridge tragedy.

It is at such a time that Gehlot, also a senior observer of the Congress in the make-or-break Gujarat Assembly election, praised the PM, surprising those trying to put him and his party, the BJP, in the dock over the Morbi tragedy.

Gehlot’s bete noire Sachin Pilot described it as an “interesting development” that “shouldn’t be taken lightly”, though his primary aim may have been to draw the attention of new Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge towards the pending decision on notices to three loyalists of the chief minister.

The Congress on Tuesday launched ‘Gujarat Parivartan Sankalp Yatra’ during which 145 public meetings and 95 rallies will be held along the route covering more than 5,400 km. 

The ‘Parivartan Sankalp Yatra’ was scheduled to start on Monday but was postponed by a day following the Morbi tragedy on Sunday. 

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