Mokokchung, 24 September (MTNews): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday exuded confidence in his party’s electoral prospects during ‘The Conclave’ in New Delhi, a media conclave, on Sunday. Gandhi expressed optimism that the Congress was poised to secure victories in several key states during the upcoming Assembly polls.
During the event, he stated, “I would say, right now, we are probably winning Telangana, we are certainly winning Madhya Pradesh, we are certainly winning Chhattisgarh. Rajasthan, we are very close, and we think we will be able to win. That is what it looks like. By the way, that is also what the BJP internally is saying.”
Assembly elections are scheduled to take place later this year in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram. Rahul Gandhi’s confidence in his party’s electoral chances in these states reflects the Congress’ determination to regain its political foothold.
Gandhi also discussed the evolving dynamics of the Indian political landscape, highlighting the Opposition’s efforts to adapt and collaborate. He confidently declared, “We are adapting to a situation where the BJP controls the media. Don’t think the opposition is not capable of adapting, we are adapting, we are working together, we are 60 per cent of India’s population. BJP is in for a surprise in 2024 (Lok Sabha polls),” he said.
The Congress leader stressed the importance of controlling the narrative in electoral politics. He noted that the party had successfully done so in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the run-up to the polls by presenting a clear vision for the states and social security programs. He also cited the example of Karnataka, where the Congress learned to combat the BJP’s strategy of distraction by staying focused on its narrative.
Commenting on the Telangana polls, Gandhi asserted, “If you look at the Telangana polls, we are controlling the narrative, the BJP is not even in the narrative, it is gone. The BJP has been decimated, and it is over in Telangana.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a significant political encounter took place in Ahmedabad as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met with industrialist Gautam Adani during the inauguration of India’s first Lactoferrin factory. This event attracted attention not only for its economic significance but also for the ensuing political dynamics.
As the two prominent figures came together, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla seized the moment to launch a verbal attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Poonawalla shared a snapshot of Pawar and Adani’s meeting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) with a snide remark: “Nobody in INDI Alliance takes Rahul Gandhi or his utterances seriously.”
The meeting between Sharad Pawar and Gautam Adani occurred amidst a backdrop of controversy surrounding allegations made against the Adani Group by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Rahul Gandhi, consistently critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue, has been demanding answers.
Notably, the backdrop for this encounter was the previous INDIA bloc meeting held in Mumbai. The meeting was hosted by Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, both key figures within the INDIA bloc – a coalition formed to challenge the BJP’s dominance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
This is not the first instance of Sharad Pawar taking a stance at odds with his allies. In a previous episode in April, the NCP chief expressed support for Gautam Adani, dismissing the Opposition’s call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Adani Group, following allegations made by the US investment research firm Hindenburg Research. The two leaders even held a meeting at Pawar’s Mumbai residence, despite calls from opposition parties for action against the industrialist.