Opinion: Why Sonia Gandhi's Rajya Sabha Move May Not Bode Well For Congress?

Congress leader and party's Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli shifted to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan months ahead of the crucial Parliamentary elections. Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that some of the opposition members may move to another seat and some may even shift to the Rajya Sabha fearing defeat from their traditional seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Now, Sonia Gandhi's switch to the upper house has given the BJP yet another weapon against Congress.

A Jan Ki Baat survey in Raebareli has already indicated that a majority of the voters want a change there. This was aided by BJP's rising popularity after the inauguration of the Ram Temple. Congress might have sensed a tough fight at the seat after losing Amethi in 2019. As per reports, the party may field Priyanka Gandhi from the seat. But the damage has already been done.

The BJP will play this up big time in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the party has already claimed that Sonia Gandhi took the decision fearing defeat. Now, the saffron party is likely to use this poll plank against Congress claiming that even their top leaders have quit polls and traditional seats as BJP's victory was certain. The Congress cadre, especially the grassroots workers, were already in a fix after the party decided not to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony. The move has already sent a message to Congress cadre that even its top leaders are not sure of their victory against the BJP and this will further demoralise them ahead of the polls.

After Rahul Gandhi lost from Amethi and now Congress leaving its lone seat in Uttar Pradesh, the party is virtually leaderless in the state which is often said to path to power in Delhi. Congress may have decided to shift Sonia Gandhi to the Rajya Sabha thinking that a defeat from the traditional seat might put the party in bad light. However, the fact is, it's as bad a move as the skipping of the Ram Temple event. The party needs to change its poll strategy drastically if it wants to counter BJP otherwise, Mamata Banerjee's prophecy of the grand old party not winning even 40 seats could turn true.