Gandhi has set his eyes on Uttar Pradesh where assembly polls are due in a year's time to help his party capture power in a state where he led revival of the organisation by securing 22 of the 80 seats in parliamentary elections in 2009.
Rahul Gandhi, who turned 41 today, faces challenging times ahead with Uttar Pradesh assembly polls not far away.
Gandhi has set his eyes on Uttar Pradesh where assembly polls are due in a year's time to help his party capture power in a state where he led revival of the organisation by securing 22 of the 80 seats in parliamentary elections in 2009.
After nearly four decades of virtually uninterrupted rule, Congress is in political wilderness in the state since 1989 in the wake of the Mandal and the Mandir surge.
Gandhi is being projected by the party as the potential prime minister and future leader with senior leaders like Digvijay Singh noting that he has all the "qualities and capabilities" that are needed for a "good" prime minister.
The year gone by was not good for Gandhi as Congress fared poorly in Assembly polls in Bihar despite the young leader virtually leading the campaign there. In Tamil Nadu too, Congress turned a flop even though he campaigned and also made a pitch for some young candidates.
In Kerala, his attack on VS Achutanandan may have turned counterproductive with the CPI(M)-led Left Front almost returning to power. The Congress-led UDF managed to secure power by a wafer-thin majority.
The attack on Achuthanandan earned him a sobriquet of "Amul Baby", which the Congress resented.
Digvijay Singh, who is in-charge of party affairs in UP, insists that "Uttar Pradesh is not Bihar" as an organisation is in place in UP unlike in Bihar where the party secured just four out of the 243 seats.
Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh disagrees. He feels that the battle in UP is between his party and the BSP. National parties like Congress and BJP will have to play a second fiddle.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}