The Congress’ push to project Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc for the 2029 Lok Sabha election has already run into resistance from within the Opposition alliance.
CPI(M)
general secretary M A Baby, an INDIA bloc ally, has said the alliance has not even discussed the question of a prime ministerial candidate. Baby called the ongoing projection of Gandhi as the alliance’s pre-poll choice “premature and unwarranted”, according to an The Economic Times report.
‘We have not even discussed the issue’
Baby said the immediate priority for all INDIA bloc partners should be strengthening the alliance and maintaining its unity to defeat the Modi government in the next election.
“Many Opposition parties have come together and formed the INDIA bloc in order to defeat the Modi government. We are confident of achieving that goal. But, at the same time, the INDIA bloc has not taken any decision on projecting anyone as our prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 general elections. We have not even discussed the issue,” Baby told The Economic Times.
“Therefore, Congress leaders talking about Rahul Gandhi being the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 election is premature and unwarranted,” he said.
Baby’s remarks came after several senior Congress leaders began asserting that Gandhi should be the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for 2029.
The Congress leaders’ pitch came in the backdrop of some TVK leaders expressing a desire to see Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay emerge as a future prime minister.
Regional allies question Rahul-for-PM pitch
Baby’s comments also come as some regional allies, particularly those with delicate political ties with the Congress, are privately questioning the rationale and timing of the campaign to project Gandhi as the Opposition alliance’s PM candidate.
The CPI(M) leader pointed to the history of Opposition alliances that did not announce a prime ministerial candidate before elections.
“Our past Opposition alliances mostly did not announce any pre-poll prime ministerial candidates,” Baby said.
He cited the 1977 Janata Party-led national alliance, saying the focus then was on fielding joint candidates across seats, while the question of who would become prime minister was settled only after the election.
He also referred to subsequent Opposition alliances that won elections and formed governments, saying the decision on the prime minister was taken after the polls in cases involving Deve Gowda, I K Gujral and Manmohan Singh.
Why Congress’ internal hierarchy matters
Baby said some Congress leaders may be projecting Gandhi because he is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. “But then, Mallikarjun Kharge is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha besides being the Congress president,” he said.
According to Baby, the Congress can make its claim for the prime minister’s post if the INDIA bloc wins the election, but other alliance partners could make similar claims. “While the Congress may make its claim for the PM post when the INDIA bloc wins the elections, so may some other (allied) parties,” he said.
Baby also pointed to instances in the past when regional parties came together after elections and staked a claim to form the government, while the Congress extended outside support.
Focus should remain on alliance unity
For Baby, the immediate challenge is not deciding who will lead a potential government in 2029, but keeping the Opposition alliance together.
He stressed that INDIA bloc partners should work towards strengthening the alliance and its unity to defeat the Modi government rather than complicating that effort by prematurely projecting a prime ministerial candidate.
