Congress taking a middle path on PM candidate

New Delhi: Pressure is building up within the Congress party to declare its potential Prime Minister candidate against incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has already said on record that if Congress comes to power Rahul

Gandhi will be PM from the party.

She has said it twice while interacting with the media persons during her UP campaign.

Congress high command is still in two minds to declare Rahul as PM candidate. Interlocutors of the Congress party now is taking a middle path. Congress leaders are in discussion with its erstwhile UPA allies whether they can declare after the poll it will be a Congress-led Government at the centre.

Because Congress political managers are of the view that PM Modi should not be allowed to go unchallenged.

Party managers feel that they will not announce Rahul Gandhi's name as prospective PM candidate but elected MPs of the party will elect their leader in consultation with the pre-poll allies.

The idea behind this proposal actually led Rahul Gandhi to declare a Nunatama Aay Yogona (NYAY) scheme or minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor.

The latent message through this scheme Congress party wants to champion the idea of a Congress-led Government at the Centre.

Initially, party managers were not sure about the idea, because of possible backlash from the various alliance partners.

Now, it is almost clear that Congress party is not having any alliance neither with TMC of West Bengal nor with SP and BSP of Uttar Pradesh.

Presently, Congress party has sealed seat adjustment or pre-poll alliance with RJD of Bihar, NCP of Maharashtra, DMK of Tamil Nadu and JD(S) of Karnataka. Except for Sharad Pawar of NCP, all other parties have openly supported the candidature of Rahul Gandhi as

PM.

In this campaign, Congress party has no objection if Mamata Banerjee wants to throw her hat in ring for prime-ministership or Mayawati from BSP.

The party leaders say after the poll depending on the number of the Parliamentary party leader of the United opposition can be

chosen.

The reason for taking a strategic shift of the political line of declaring PM candidate that ruling BJP has so far has been successful to propagate a vacuum in the leadership within the opposition ranks.

And this finds some resonance among some voters including first-time voters.

The India National Congress will take a cautious step to prevent the election being converted as Presidential type.

No final decision has been taken so far but this issue was deliberated in the last working committee of the party in Ahmedabad.