Rahul Gandhi’s campaign: Minor tweaks for major poll impact

Learning from past mistakes, Congress managers have tweaked party president Rahul Gandhi’s campaign strategy to maximize the impact in the Assembly polls in five states.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with senior leaders Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia during his campaign in Madhya Pradesh  | TWITTER pic courtesy: OFFICE OF KAMAL NATH
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with senior leaders Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia during his campaign in Madhya Pradesh | TWITTER pic courtesy: OFFICE OF KAMAL NATH

NEW DELHI: Learning from past mistakes, Congress managers have tweaked party president Rahul Gandhi’s campaign strategy to maximize the impact in the Assembly polls in five states.

Party insiders acknowledged that the momentum generated by Rahul’s intensive campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka weakened by the time of the voting day as the visits had ended weeks before. 

This, they said, allowed the BJP to take advantage as PM Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah stepped up the campaign as the election fever peaked among the voters. “We are conscious of avoiding that mistake in these elections. We will not let the BJP take any mileage in the last leg of campaigning,” a senior AICC functionary said.

Another reason why Rahul’s campaign was tweaked is that of an internal assessment as to how Modi and Shah took their campaigns in Gujarat and Karnataka on a different tangent, bringing in conspiracy theories, Pakistan and ‘communal rhetoric’ to sway the voters.

A Congress strategist said campaigning in the present times was all about constantly conveying the party’s message to the voters, especially as the polling day drew near and the people started deciding electoral preferences.

“We sense a lot of unrest among voters in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Naturally, we keep highlighting the BJP’s failures, both in the state and at the Centre. If this message is registering with the voters, the challenge is to remain on the offensive rather than give space to rivals to control the damage,” an AICC general secretary said.

According to party insiders, while Rahul’s campaigns — a mix of rallies, road shows and interaction with select groups — generate public curiosity and draw media attention, the focus shifts to the constituencies as the polling day nears and the respective candidates and local teams manage it thereafter.  “Rahul, as party chief, has to cover all the five states. Slots are planned in states keeping in mind the political situation there,” said a senior AICC leader.

Party insiders accept the Congress has to do with a much weaker setup as compared to the BJP, which puts onus on poll managers.

Presenting a united face in times of internal strife

Another highlight of Rahul’s visits is key state leaders share the dais or space (see picture), sending out a message of unity even if things are not okay within the local party unit. “Perception management has become critical in election campaigns these days. A galaxy of senior leaders forming a human chain inspires the party workers,” said a backroom poll manager for the Assembly elections.  

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com