Daily Times

It was a shot in the arm for India’s main opposition Congress after poll results Tuesday showed the grand old party was close to doubling its seats despite starting as underdogs. The once-mighty political force with a proud role in ending British colonial rule had been down in the dumps after two humiliating defeats at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the previous two elections. Exit polls had predicted another drubbing for the Congress this time but the party defied pundits, improving its performance by leaps and bounds. Enthusiastic party supporters were beating drums and waving giant flags at the party headquarters in the capital New Delhi as results started trickling in. Figures from the election commission projected Congress to grab 99 seats, significantly higher than the 52 it managed in 2019. For the first time in a decade the BJP appeared likely to fall short of an overall majority of its own, meaning it would need to rely on its alliance partners to form the government. Congress supporters credited its above-par performance to the “astute” leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the most prominent leader of the party. He is also the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that played a dominant role in Indian politics for generations. “Rahul has worked hard day and night. He deserves all the accolades. He has single-handedly lifted the party up,” said Avneesh Jain, a party worker. “At this rate we will win the next election for sure.”