Sheila, Babbar, Sanjay: Congress Army For UP 2017 Is Battle Ready
After years of confusion, the Congress looks to be approaching Uttar Pradesh, a state which once served as a stronghold, with a clear strategy in place.
On the face of it, the Congress' decision to declare Raj Babbar as the president of its Uttar Pradesh unit, while projecting 78-year-old Sheila Dikshit as the chief ministerial candidate might look ill-advised.
However, a closer look at the recent announcements by the Congress high command for 2017 UP polls reveals a complex jigsaw being completed bit by bit.
Sheila Dikshit: Solution to the Upper Caste Conundrum
Putting to rest the unending speculations, the Congress on Thursday announced its decision to have Dikshit at the helm for the Assembly polls in 2017.
Dikshit, who is the daughter-in-law of upper caste UP leader, Uma Shankar Dikshit, has strong roots in UP. She is believed to be projected as a prominent Brahmin face for the state that has a sizeable number of upper caste voters.
The Congress, with the move, will look to recapture the votes of the Brahmin community, a traditional vote bank for Congress, which had shifted allegiance to the BJP after the emergence of Ram Mandir politics in the late 1980s.
The Congress will also look to use her work in Delhi to project Dikshit as a leader who can bring development to a state clamouring for vikas for the past two decades.
Also Read:
UP to Delhi to UP: Sheila Dikshit's Career Comes Full Circle
Priyanka Gandhi “Right” Person for Congress in UP: Sheila Dikshit
Raj Babbar, the Missing Piece in the Complex Caste Jigsaw
Raj Babbar could well serve as the missing piece of the complex electoral equation that the Congress believes will win it the crucial north Indian state.
Babbar, 64, who was announced as the new head of its UP unit on Tuesday, has recall value as a former actor and is expected to draw large audience to election rallies, and hopefully to the voting booths.
At the same time, the tag of being an OBC leader in a state, which in the past has been vulnerable to succumbing to caste politics, will provide an essential component to the Congress' 2017 poll machine.
Also Read:
In Picking Raj Babbar as its UP Chief, Congress Shows Some Spunk
Raj Babbar: From Actor, Politician to Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief
Sanjay Singh, Congress' Push to Consolidate Thakur Votes
As a prominent Thakur leader, Sanjay Singh being announced as the chief of the Congress' campaign committee will supplement the push to consolidate the upper caste votes in Uttar Pradesh.
The 64-year-old politician, who is the from the former royal family of Amethi – the constituency of Rahul Gandhi – will also help the party cover all bases and serve as a prominent homegrown face for voters.
Additionally, he is seen as a leader who holds sway over the state unit of the party, and could help unite the party cadres at the grassroot levels in Uttar Pradesh.
-
Talking Points This Week: Tech Nerves, FII Buying, And A Faraway Banking Shock
The global markets are not shining this Diwali. The exception in the large markets is, India.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
