India’s 2019 Parliamentary elections has made a headlines of landslide victory of Narendra Modi. As Modi was in limelight for his huge victory similarly Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress Party, was making a headline for losing a hierarchical seat, Amethi. Amid the BJP’s victory, one result which shook everyone was Amethi Result. The result gain limelight as Gandhi family has dominated the Amethi constituency since the country’s independence. This was a humiliating blow to the congress party. Either any Gandhi Family member, or linked to, gandhi family has occupied the Amethi constituency almost without interruption since 1980 (it was briefly held by the BJP in 1998). In 2014, Rahul Gandhi managed to hold on to the seat convincingly even as his party crumbled across the country.
Read more: Why BJP rode a success on the development agenda?
There was a steep fall in the confidence of the people of India when it comes to Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi had not contested from the southern state of Kerala, he might not be able to been a Member of Parliament any more. Indian election rules allow candidates to contest from two seats in one election. Though Rahul Gandhi had done pretty well in his campaign but there are few reasons for why gandhi family is on a verge of slide.
Gandhi – Nehru Era since the inception
Since independence of country, Congress Party has inexorably linked itself to the Gandhi family. Indian voters have moved on from an uneducated youth to the young country where half the 1.3 billion people are under the age of 27. The narrate of Narendra Modi, the son of a tea vendor who with no political godfather became the most powerful Indian prime minister in decades, is a far impressive than the story of Rahul Gandhi, a man who has seemingly had success hand-delivered to him.
Read more: When were gadhbandhan worked?
Performance priority
Another probable reason is that Indian voters prioritize performance, rather than the lineage of a candidate. For whatever reason, the Congress Party, which has ruled India for 51 out of 71 years of independence, and the Gandhis, who have ruled for 36 of those years, no longer seem to fit the bill.
Lack of inter-connectivity
Lack of organisational network and a strong disconnect with the rural population led to the fall of the Congress stronghold Amethi, which has remained loyal to the Gandhi family since 1980. Rahul Gandhi had not reached the remote areas and failed to make a connect with those in the rural areas.