In India’s final basic election, in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s celebration received 303 of 543 parliamentary seats — almost six instances as many as the primary opposition celebration, the Indian Nationwide Congress. It was a stinging electoral blow for the Congress, a once-dominant celebration that has appeared vastly diminished in recent times, and exit polls on this yr’s election had not steered it will fare significantly better.
However early election outcomes on Tuesday indicated a far stronger exhibiting than anticipated for the Congress. The celebration and its allies have been main in almost 230 races, a pointy turnaround that prompted jubilation on the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, the place supporters erupted in cheers every time a tv channel introduced a brand new lead for considered one of its candidates.
“Regardless of the closing outcomes, one factor is evident — it’s a ethical victory for Congress and our chief Rahul Gandhi, and defeat for B.J.P.,” stated Robin Michael, a political employee, referring to Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Get together.
Whereas there was no indication that Congress and the opposition coalition it leads would scrape collectively a majority to unseat Mr. Modi, celebration employees stated that that they had dented Mr. Modi’s aura of invincibility. They praised Mr. Gandhi, the Congress celebration’s most outstanding determine and a great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first post-independence prime minister.
Final yr, as Mr. Gandhi sought to burnish his standing by main lengthy marches throughout India, the B.J.P. ensnared him in a courtroom case that led to his expulsion from Parliament. He was later returned to his seat by India’s highest courtroom. On Tuesday, Mr. Gandhi was on observe to win his parliamentary seat within the southern state of Kerala.
The Congress, lengthy positioned at India’s political heart, has struggled to discover a path and provide an ideological different to the Hindu nationalist B.J.P. It has confronted rebellions, infighting and periodic suits of soul-searching over whether or not to rally behind a brand new face — solely to stay with its dynastic management.
This yr, regardless of expectations, Mr. Gandhi had set a goal of doubling the celebration’s 2019 tally of 52 seats. By late Tuesday afternoon, it was main in almost 100 seats.
“We’ll cease Modi from making a mockery of this nation and turning folks towards one another,” stated Sandeep Mishra, a Congress employee at celebration headquarters. He added: “Indians are fed up with Modi.”
