The Race is on

So the Race is about to begin for Bungalow No.1 – The 7 Race Course Road, the official Bungalow allotted to the Prime Minister Of India. Incidentally, the Bungalow No.-7 is not only his residence but also the work address as well similar to 10- Downing Street or White House in the United Kingdom or the United States of America. There is a long list of leaders dreaming to enter the gates of 7-Racecourse Road but it remains to be seen who will be the lucky one that will enter into the gate of this dream-house. We don’t know the names who will enter in this prestigious house but the list of aspirants is not a secret as almost every party has declared it Prime Ministerial candidate barring of course if something extra ordinary happens and a party pops up out of the blues.  

General Elections a regular feature

It is a regular feature in India that takes place at the gap of every five years but it’s going to be an extraordinary election this time around. The fact that makes this election different from other Parliamentary elections held so far is that there is a leadership-war is on in the major opponents especially both the national parties. Besides the name of Arvind Kejriwal, a relatively new name in the Indian politics has emerged like a comet in the horizon. However the things are settling a bit now and the race seems to be in between the two top contenders namely Narendra Modi of Bhartiya Janta Party and Rahul Gandhi of Congress. The third one Arvind Kejriwal seems to have lost some of the ground for the time being, but as I said earlier that we can’t rule out something unexpected to happen as third front is very much relevant and can play its role. 

There is no denial that BJP has taken the lead in the race under Narendra Modi’ who successfully led the state elections held in 5 states and winning 3 of them and emerging the largest party in Delhi where Kejriwal performed almost as expected winning 28 seats out of 70 and toppling BJP’ hopes of forming the government. But the picture is clear now, the Congress has refused to back Delhi government on the Jan Lokpal bill forcing Kejriwal to resign from the post of Chief Minister’s post. However, Arvind Kejriwal’s unbelievable performance in the State elections of Delhi makes him a probable choice in the coming general elections for a bigger number of voters depending upon the number of candidates he fields in the coming elections. Finally, Congress has not declared it officially but if the UPA wins under the Congress leadership, Rahul Gandhi is certainly going to be their first choice as Prime Ministerial candidate.

Narendra Modi - BJP 

For the time being BJP is going great guns under Narendra Modi’s ferocious aggressive election campaigning. Modi seems to have taken over the Indian political scene with his superbly designed strategies consisting of fierce advertising, International public relation, and different event managements, well planned expensive election campaigning, involvement of social media and with the help of corporate world and his own achievements in different sectors in Gujarat state’s development story. And there should be no doubts in minds of the competitors, the results of the state assemblies held recently are showing his success story. 

There is no doubt that at one stage Bhartiya Janta Party was divided into two and the major section of the party was in favor of Lal Krishna Advani but Modi was the choice of policy makers of the BJP. They had already lost the previous election under Advani, moreover Modi was the most aggressive and natural choice as the Prime Ministerial candidate. The issue is not fully resolved as the party is still facing the resentment form some of the old leaders and if the BJP looses the election probably it would be due to their own infighting more than any other reasons. For time being Modi has succeeded in his plans by projecting himself the ideal leader of masses in the name of development and giving this country a much needed boost at all fronts. He might fall short at certain topics and there are few facts that pull him back but the Indian public at present doesn't seem to care a bit. The opposition is trying its best to bring the ghost of Gujarat riots into the picture despite the court’s verdict that declared him clean. Opposition thinks that it’s kind of big weapon in their hands and Modi has a difficult job on his hands but in spite of all such allegations, Modi has only one problem to face- ‘the Kejriwal factor’. 

Arvind Kejriwal ‘The Kejriwal factor’

Narendra Modi was almost having a cakewalk when Arvind Kejriwal made his entry into the political scene. Kejriwal emerged in the Indian political arena from the Anna movement that mainly wanted a Lokpal Bill to protect the citizen of this country from the corruption committed by politicians and government employees but governments were delaying the process unnecessarily for decades. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sprouted by Arvind Kejriwal gave a new hope to Indian politics and he became an instant success among the masses. Now, the limelight had somewhat shifted from BJP to AAP as Kejriwal stole the show and became the latest hero of the great Indian political drama that will end with the general elections a couple of months later. 

Most people thought his aggressive style of functioning from the road along with large gatherings was okay but once he took over as Chief Minister of the State he should have acted more sensibly and he should have concentrated on proper governance rather than giving it dramatic touch. That was a little too much for people who wanted things to go by the rule books, public in general loved it though. Now, he is no more in seat of power and that would probably give him a chance to reschedule his working style and expand his party to different corners of the country with everyone looking and waiting to join him eagerly.

Rahul Gandhi leading the Congress

Congress as per their tradition did not declare any Prime Ministerial candidate but that is part of their culture as Nehru Gandhi family is the only choice for the party so Rahul is the natural choice for them and stage is all set provided their collision wins enough seats required to form a government in the center. However, they once announced his name well, almost and then suddenly the denial appeared through the press conferences but that was probably to test the water. This experiment brought a mixed bag for the party, the party members shouting ‘Yea’ in welcome, but the public reacting indifferently. Rahul has a lot to say about country’s future but he has nothing to clarify about the bygone regime of the party.

Rahul Gandhi in his interview to a famous Indian TV channel was seen puzzled, fumbling and almost ducking under the questions which further increased people’s doubts in his abilities, efficiency and his intelligence level to takeover as Premiership of this country. The ghost of 1984, the Sikh massacre is still haunting the party and that is another point that brings Congress on back foot. The attitude shown so far by the youngest leader of the oldest party of the country does not seem to impress the masses anymore of this country that is stuck in mud of corruption up to the neck.

Conclusion

As described in the beginning the names are here for everyone to see and choose from, unless of course, something unexpected happens and the country has to look for someone from the wide list of smaller regional parties that will decide the fate of 140 Crore people of this country. Let’s all pray that the ablest person wins and enters the doors of 7-Race Course Road for the safe and healthy future of this country.