Is this the Beginning of the End of Gandhis?
The recent UP elections in India will go down in history as the elections which humbled the Gandhi family and its heir apparent, Rahul Gandhi. It will also be remembered as the elections which showcased another heir – Akhilesh Yadav.
The extent of humiliation of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi can be best understood from the results in the Gandhi strong-hold of Rae Bareli, Amethi, and Sultanpur area. Despite more than 300 public meetings by Rahul and sister Priyanka Gandhi.
Congress could muster just two of the 15 assembly seats. Worse, the Congress candidates lost by huge margins. In fact they weren’t even in the race for first two! The Biggest shocker is that, Amethi, which was always considered to be in the backpocket of the Gandhis, also reneged on Congress, with ONLY TWO out of 10 assembly seats going to the party.
This time, the nemesis was Akhilesh Yadav – son of Mulayam Singh Yadav. He doesn’t give two hoots about the dynastic pride or the clout of the Gandhis and simply tore them apart. First Post says it the best:
Akhilesh is Rahul’s doppelganger, the smarter, more capable, articulate and talented alter ego who haunted his every move in UP. Rahul’s every speech, tactic or strategy drew the inevitable and unflattering comparisons. There’s the polite version, where “Rahul’s appeal and interaction” is deemed “sophisticated,” while Akhilesh “is direct, personal and earthy.”
Then there’s the less diplomatic take offered by Pant: “The most impressive campaign was conducted by Akhilesh- restrained yet forceful, relying on reason rather than emotion, not abusive or abrasive. It stood out in sharp contrast with Rahul Gandhi’s histrionics reminiscent of B grade Hindi films.”
It remains to be seen whether this election will serve as the end of the Gandhis and the beginning of other scions educated abroad (as Yadav is) taking the dynasty on for what it is worth – NOTHING!
One hopes that Yadav is able to inspire many more young people to put the Gandhis in their place in future. Enough is Enough.