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Ahmed Patel’s victory in RS polls should call for introspection, not celebration in the Congress

Published

9 years ago

August 9, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a nail-biting finish to the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi secured 44 votes to win his seat for the fifth term, saving himself and more importantly his boss much embarrassment. But, the election once again exposed how unprepared the Congress leadership is to tackle the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah juggernaut

After a roller-coaster Rajya Sabha election – the likes of which has never been seen in the past – senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was declared elected to the Upper House of Parliament at around 3 am, on Wednesday, along with the other expected victors – BJP national president Amit Shah and Union textile minister Smriti Irani.

Shah and Irani, whose victory in the election was a foregone conclusion, secured 46 votes each. Patel – who was touted to lose after a series of defections and resignations hit the Congress Legislative Party over the past fortnight – secured 44 votes, just as many as were required for him to win after his party’s appeal to the Election Commission to disqualify two of its legislators for violating polling rules was upheld, thereby reducing the number of votes required by a candidate to be elected to 44 instead of 45. The BJP’s third candidate, Balwantsinh Rajput, who had quit the Congress 10 days back to join the saffron brigade and become its candidate against Patel, secured just 38 votes.

At the face of it, Rajput’s defeat comes as an embarrassment for Amit Shah and the BJP. A close relative of former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela – who resigned from the party recently and voted against Patel in Tuesday’s election – Rajput, sources say, had been fielded in the RS race at the behest of Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of whom have left amply displayed their unwillingness to cede even an inch of political space for the Congress party.

Similarly, for the Congress party in general and its president Sonia Gandhi in particular, the victory of Patel comes as a huge relief at a time when the Grand Old Party is, in the words of its senior leader Jairam Ramesh, facing an “existential crisis”. Had Patel lost, the morale of his party’s workers in Gujarat, which goes for Assembly elections in five months, would have fallen further.

More importantly, the defeat would have possibly triggered more Jairams to openly call for a “new Congress” (read: one aligned more with the party’s face of defeat – Rahul Gandhi – than with the old guard that stands firmly behind Sonia while still trying to understand her son’s gameplan, if at all there is one). And here lies the problem with Patel’s victory.

Rajput’s defeat is only a temporary setback to the Modi-Shah duo. In the run up to the RS polls, the BJP has displayed that it’s willing to go for the Congress’ jugular. The BJP turned an otherwise mundane Rajya Sabha election into a battle royale between Shah and Sonia, with the former banking on his skills that go beyond routine politics while the latter was busy fighting off an implosion within her party’s ranks and was underprepared to pre-empt the moves of her rival.

Even in Patel’s victory, the signs for the Congress are ominous. The Congress, till two weeks ago, had 57 MLAs in the Gujarat assembly – of which only 45 needed to vote for Patel to ensure that his return to the Rajya Sabha for a record fifth-term was a cake walk. But then things began to deteriorate for the already beleaguered Congress at a break-neck speed.

First, Shankersinh Vaghela, who the party had imported from the BJP two decades ago, engineered cross-voting by 11 Congress legislators in the Presidential polls and then soon after announced his decision to quit the party while making it abundantly clear that all was not well for the Congress in Gujarat. Next came the resignation of six Congress MLAs, three of whom, including Balwantsinh Rajput, joined the BJP almost immediately. While the BJP promptly pitted Rajput against Patel in the RS polls, other Congress MLAs began indicating openly that Patel would lose, forcing the Congress to pack off 44 of its MLAs to a resort in Bengaluru in an attempt to fend off more “poaching” by the BJP.

A series of questionable IT raids followed at the Bengaluru resort where the 44 Congress MLAs were staying and at the residential and office premises of their host and Karnataka cabinet minister DK Shivakumar. While the Congress continued to cry foul about the BJP’s “dirty tricks department”, Amit Shah expectedly stayed focused on the RS battle.

Finally, on Tuesday, as votes were cast – while Vaghela openly voted against Patel (despite earlier saying that he had good relations with him and would vote for him), two other Congress MLAs, Bhola Bhai Gohil and Raghav Bhai Patel, who had returned the previous day from their luxurious Bengaluru sojourn sponsored by Shivakumar, voted for Rajput, sending the Congress into panic mode.

The Congress and BJP both dispatched high powered delegations to the Election Commission in New Delhi – twice in a matter of less than 12 hours – with the former seeking disqualification of Bhola Bhai and Raghav Bhai – and the latter insisting that they hadn’t broken any polling rules and so their votes – cast in favour of BJP nominee Rajput – should be held valid. In a midnight decision, the EC, ruled in favour of the Congress. Three hours later Patel was declared elected and exclaimed ‘Satyamev Jayate’ while his party colleagues immediately burst into celebratory mood while taunting the BJP at its defeat.

But then, the Congress had 47 MLAs after excluding Vaghela, the six others who resigned and the two who were disqualified and Patel should have ideally secured all their votes. He got 44 – which by all indications also includes votes cast by lone JD (U) legislator in Gujarat, Chhotubhai Vasava, NCP MLA Jayant Patel and rebel BJP leader Nalin Kotadiya, who voted against his party candidate since he is upset with the state government for its handling of the Patidar-Patel agitation.

This means that out of its original lot of 57 MLA, the Congress now has been reduced to just 41 legislators. With Gujarat going to polls in December, it’s time that the party begins to re-build its cadre and regain lost ground in a state which till few months ago showed heavy signs of anti-incumbency for the first time in nearly 15 years. Celebrations for Ahmed Patel’s victory can wait.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Delhi deploys 25,000 personnel, installs CCTV cameras ahead of CJP march

More than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Delhi ahead of the CJP’s planned protest march at Connaught Place. Authorities have also imposed restrictions and stepped up CCTV surveillance.

Published

6 hours ago

October 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi has stepped up security ahead of a planned protest march by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with more than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed and additional surveillance measures introduced in parts of the national capital.

The planned “Lehra Do Tiranga” march is scheduled to take place at Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday, October 16. Authorities have also imposed prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and surrounding areas as part of the security arrangements.

Security tightened across Connaught Place

The security arrangements include the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, along with the installation of additional CCTV cameras at Central Park and Rajiv Chowk Metro Station.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Connaught Place and nearby areas. Central Park is also scheduled to remain closed for two days, with authorities advising the public to avoid the area during the arrangements.

A high-level meeting chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, attended by senior police officers, was held on Thursday to review preparations ahead of the planned demonstration.

Why CJP is planning the march

The CJP has called the march to protest the arrest of its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter rolls.

The party’s protest is centred on its allegations concerning the electoral roll revision process. These are the protesters’ claims and should not be treated as independently established findings.

With Jantar Mantar no longer designated as a protest site, Central Park in Connaught Place has emerged as the proposed location for the fresh demonstration. The protest has also received support from the Aam Aadmi Party and the All India Students’ Association, according to the report.

Traders raise concerns over business disruptions

The heightened security measures have also prompted concerns among traders in the area.

Traders at Palika Bazaar have expressed concern about disruptions during the festive season, pointing to losses associated with previous protests. The concerns reflect the potential impact of repeated demonstrations and security restrictions on commercial activity in central Delhi.

Delhi Police has said it will facilitate peaceful demonstrators selectively while maintaining public order and protecting property.

India News

Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘Your Friends’ jab at Rahul Gandhi over congress exits

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Rahul Gandhi after the Leader of the Opposition reportedly described former party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad as among those who had left the Congress.

Published

6 hours ago

October 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge made a pointed remark about former Congress leaders after Rahul Gandhi reportedly described some of those who left the party as people who had been driven by personal interests or fear. The exchange took place during an informal interaction involving young Congress workers, according to a report published on October 15.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reportedly referred to former Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad while discussing people who had left the party. Kharge responded with a quip that drew attention to Rahul Gandhi’s earlier association with the leaders.

What Rahul Gandhi said about leaders who left Congress

During the interaction, Rahul Gandhi reportedly said that the Congress was now left with committed workers, describing those who remained in the party as ‘babbar sher’ or lions. He alleged that people who were greedy or afraid had left, citing Scindia and Azad as examples.

His reported remarks referred to people who, he suggested, had left because of the attraction of positions and security or fear of investigative agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

These were Rahul Gandhi’s political characterisations of the leaders who left the Congress, rather than independently established explanations for their departures.

Kharge’s response to Rahul Gandhi

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s account, Kharge remarked, “They were all your friends.”

The comment referred to the association Rahul Gandhi had previously shared with some of the leaders who later left the Congress. Rahul Gandhi responded by saying that his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was present and knew that Scindia was not his friend.

He subsequently reflected on the difficulty of identifying friends and opponents in politics, saying that people who appear to be friends may not necessarily be so, and the reverse may also be true.

Why Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ghulam Nabi Azad were mentioned

Jyotiraditya Scindia left the Congress in 2020 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His departure was followed by a political crisis in Madhya Pradesh that resulted in the fall of the Congress government led by Kamal Nath.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, a veteran Congress leader, resigned from the party in August 2022. In his resignation letter, he criticised Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and the functioning of the party’s internal decision-making process.

Both leaders subsequently became prominent examples in political discussions about senior figures leaving the Congress, although their reasons and circumstances differed.

Rahul Gandhi’s message to young Congress workers

The interaction also focused on protests and political mobilisation. Rahul Gandhi reportedly told young Congress workers that demonstrations and struggles were part of their political training and encouraged them to explore new and creative ways of protesting.

He also suggested holding protests at Jantar Mantar, according to the report.

Congress president Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present during the interaction. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was dependent on the next eight to 10 months, though the report did not establish this as an independently verified assessment.

The exchange between Kharge and Rahul Gandhi offered a glimpse into the Congress leadership’s informal discussions, while bringing the departures of Scindia and Azad back into the political conversation.

India News

Delhi Police offers 11-person limit for CJP’s Connaught Place protest

Delhi Police has offered to facilitate a group of 11 people at Central Park in Connaught Place for the Cockroach Janata Party’s October 16 protest, while warning that violations of prohibitory orders could invite legal action.

Published

18 hours ago

October 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi Police has proposed allowing a group of 11 people to carry the national flag and sing the national anthem at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16, ahead of a protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over alleged electoral fraud.

The police said it could facilitate the group at a suitable place in the park, while appealing to the public not to join the proposed gathering in large numbers. The offer comes amid prohibitory orders in Connaught Place and adjoining areas under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on people to assemble at Central Park at 5 pm on Friday with the national flag. The proposed demonstration, named “Lehra Do Tiranga”, follows the detention of CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka during an earlier protest.

Why Delhi Police proposed limiting the gathering

In its statement, Delhi Police cited the prevailing security and law-and-order situation in the area. It also referred to information from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) that Central Park would remain closed on October 16 and 17 for administrative reasons.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav said the NDMC had informed the police about the closure and had asked that no gathering be allowed near the park.

The police also cited representations from trader and market associations in Connaught Place and surrounding areas. According to the police, the associations had raised concerns about unlawful assemblies and their impact on businesses, particularly during the festive season.

Police warned that violations of Section 163 BNSS would invite appropriate legal action. It also stressed that the national flag must be displayed and carried, and the national anthem sung, in the prescribed manner with due respect and dignity.

Delhi High Court declines to stop CJP protest

The proposed gathering reached the Delhi High Court after a vendor sought intervention over concerns about disruption to businesses and public movement in Connaught Place.

On Thursday, the court declined to restrain the CJP from holding the protest. It recorded the police’s assurance that all possible measures under the law would be taken to regulate the gathering and maintain peace.

The petition was filed by a vendor at Palika Bazar in Connaught Place, who raised concerns about the potential impact of the demonstration on traders and others working in the area.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the authorities, told the court that steps had already been taken to regulate the proposed protest.

CJP’s protest call follows detention of party members

Dipke’s October 16 protest call follows earlier demonstrations over alleged electoral fraud. CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are in jail on trespass charges after raising the national flag at Jantar Mantar earlier this week, according to the report.

The party has been protesting over alleged electoral fraud and has raised questions about the Election Commission.

Dipke has urged people to gather at Central Park with the national flag, arguing that raising the Tricolour should not be treated as a crime.

The police’s proposal to facilitate a group of 11 people came as the authorities sought to prevent a larger gathering at the site. The CJP’s response to the police’s offer was still awaited in the report published on October 15.