The Rajya Sabha elections have stirred a political commotion, not only because of cross-voting, as has often taken place in the past, but also because the BJP is out to get every seat it can and the defeat of the official Congress candidate in Himachal Pradesh and a Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee in Uttar Pradesh are being viewed as attempts to demoralize a downhearted Opposition on the eve of Lok Sabha polls.
The defeat of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress candidate for the only seat in Himachal Pradesh that was up for grabs, took many by surprise for it wasn’t expected to become a close contest. The Congress was far ahead of the BJP with 43 MLAs on its side and only 25 legislators of the opposition party arrayed against Singhvi. In the lead-up to the election, Singhvi had openly hinted at the possibility of the BJP weaning away Congress MLAs.
Then, why and how did the Congress fail to manage the situation staring it in the face? Was it only a factional war in the party? The party is, after all, in power in the state with all the advantages that power brings with it. In contrast, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar, who were also in power, managed things in the Southern state and ensured all three Congress nominees were elected to the Upper House despite attempts by the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) to queer the pitch.
When it seemed that the Congress might be on the verge of losing the government in Shimla – Singhvi’s defeat raised questions about its majority in the assembly – the party’s leadership swung into action and pulled the government back from the brink, at least for the moment.
As these developments unfolded and the Prime Minister made a pitch for 370 seats for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sitting in the heart of the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, where reporters spoke to people in the corporate world, from fund managers to business honchos.
In the past, they used to speak in favour of economic continuity and political stability, and India’s march towards becoming the world’s third largest economy. They still do. But this time there was a tinge of worry in the tone of some. They asked why the Prime Minister was focusing too much on winning 370 seats — it would constitute a two-thirds majority — and they talked of the manner in which the Rajya Sabha elections were contested.
The larger questions aside, there was a time when the Rajya Sabha acted as the House of Elders. Those who entered its halls were not directly elected but would caution, alert, strike high notes, hold out a vision for the country, and give sensible advice for the larger good, away from the immediate pulls and pressures that a Lok Sabha member is subjected to.
Today, the Rajya Sabha has become an “Akhara” of battles that break up parties. It is a story of inducement and mandates being violated. And many believe it is a trend that is going to be tough to reverse. Sonia Gandhi is one of the 41 MPs elected unopposed to the Upper House from Rajasthan this time. After being in the Lok Sabha for 25 years. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson, decided to give up the Raebareli seat of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Among Raebareli’s former MPs were her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and father-in-law Feroze Gandhi. Given that of India’s 14 PMs, eight have been from UP, it was not surprising that Narendra Modi decided to contest from Varanasi in 2014. For, it is a fact that the road to Delhi has more often than not passed through Uttar Pradesh. (IPA Service)
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