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| Sonia Gandhi's ability comes under close scrutiny | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, Apr 21
The Election Commission has put in place arrangements for the fourth pase of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. And if major non-Congress political parties engaged in the battle of the ballot have reckoned the fact that the polls' final results will have impact on the UPA government at the Centre, the UP elections have become an acid test for the Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi.
Given that the most ardent of Congress supporters do not give it even an outside chance of victory in UP, the outcome is seen as crucial for Sonia Gandhi to reiterate that she continues to be the most popular mass leader in India. Anything above 25 seats her party had won in the 403-member Legislative Assembly in the 2002 elections will help redeem the dwindling fortunes of the Congress, that are directly linked with Sonia's ability to convert her personal appeal into votes.
It is not so surprising then that Sonia, along with her politically ambitious children-- parliamentarian son, Rahul and daughter, Priyanka--are out in the scorching summer sun trying to woo the electorate in the home State of the elite Nehru-Gandhi family.
The desperation is not beyond comprehension. Sonia was converted into Brand Sonia when her spin managers credited her for the unexpected victory in the 2004 general elections. However, the script has, since then, gone haywire. The party's performance graph has dipped alarmingly, raising questions about the viability of Brand Sonia in Indian politics in view of a string of defeats and poor outcomes in various states.
The current wave of Assembly elections is the third such exercise since 2004. A total of 10 Sates have so far gone to polls, with the Congress party losing power in three, winning in one on its own and just about clinging to two in two with reduced numbers.
So far three States have gone to polls this year. Congress lost power in Punjab and Uttarakhand, only retaining power in tiny Manipur. In Punjab the Congress party could win only 44 seats in the 117-member Assembly as against 62 seats it had won in 2002. In Uttarakhand, its tally came don to 21 as against 36 seats it had won in the 70-member Assembly in 2002.
The pathetic display has continued with the party's dismal performance in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections held earlier this month. The lacklustre performance of leaders Sonia handpicked is now drawing serious flak.
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