First List of Congress Lok Sabha Picks Today; At Poll Panel Meet, Party Seniors Asked to Gear Up for Do-or-die Battle

Rahul Gandhi was absent on Thursday at Congress’s Central Election Committee meeting, but his presence was felt. The message that emerged was all hands have to be on deck; no one should shy away from a fight as the coming Lok Sabha election is a do-or-die battle.

This had to be communicated, said sources, as the Congress is facing a problem of its top and high-profile leaders being reluctant to fight. Rahul Gandhi has been a strong advocate of everyone battling it out, but he has seldom got support, and this has led to a rift between him and many in the party.

The Congress wants to contest 275 Lok Sabha seats on its own as it feels that it is here that it will be in a direct fight with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP has been able to experiment with its candidate choices as most leaders are confident that the Modi name would work its magic. But the Congress is not so sanguine as it has faced poll reversals, exodus, and confusion in the ranks in recent times while it is in an alliance with former opponents like the Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party.

On top of the Congress’s candidate list, expected to be announced on Friday, is Rahul Gandhi, who will be defending his Wayanad seat. It’s a Congress bastion and should be easy for him to win.

Shashi Tharoor being repeated from Thiruvananthapuram is not a surprise. But it could be a tough contest for him as he would be looking to get elected from there for a fourth time and the BJP has fielded union minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

What could be a surprise though is Rahul Gandhi’s confidant and general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal taking the plunge. This would be a big step and may force other party seniors to contest.

The BJP has stolen a march on the Congress by announcing its first list early. Some seat-sharing talks with allies are ongoing on both sides.

Now all eyes will be on the next Uttar Pradesh meet where there could be clarity on whether Rahul would contest from Amethi or Raebareli, and whether sister Priyanka would finally take the electoral plunge.