India News

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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India News

Veeramani POCSO case: Vijay questions Stalin over earlier probe

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has questioned MK Stalin over the handling of the Veeramani POCSO case, while Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected anyone.

Published

2 hours ago

September 25, 2026

APNLive Desk

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay has questioned DMK president MK Stalin over the handling of the POCSO case involving Gem Granites founder R Veeramani. The political exchange follows renewed investigation into allegations involving minor girls.

Vijay’s remarks came as the ruling TVK stepped up its questions about how the case was handled during the previous DMK government. The party’s IT wing has alleged that the earlier investigation was weakened and questioned why a final report was filed.

The allegations have been rejected by the DMK. Stalin has said that no order was issued by the DMK government to protect anyone in the case and has called the allegations false and defamatory.

What did Vijay say about the Veeramani case?

Vijay questioned Stalin over the handling of the case and demanded an explanation from the former chief minister.

The TVK has specifically questioned why action was not taken against Veeramani during the previous administration and why the earlier investigation resulted in a closure report.

The party has also raised questions about the role of officials involved in the earlier investigation. These are political allegations made by the TVK and have not been established as facts.

What is the Veeramani POCSO case?

The case concerns allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving R Veeramani, the founder of Gem Granites.

The case came under renewed scrutiny after a special POCSO court rejected an earlier closure report and ordered further investigation. The expanded probe has subsequently identified additional alleged survivors who were minors at the time of the alleged offences, according to current reporting.

The investigation is also examining the circumstances surrounding the earlier probe and whether there were any lapses in how the case was handled.

What has MK Stalin said?

Stalin has rejected allegations that the previous DMK government protected Veeramani.

He has said that no order was issued by the DMK government to shield anyone in the case. Stalin has also said that everyone responsible for the alleged offences, including anyone who aided or attempted to protect the accused, should face the law.

The DMK president has further said that the focus should remain on securing justice for the affected girls rather than making political allegations.

Why has the case become a political issue?

The Veeramani case has become the subject of a political dispute between the ruling TVK and the DMK over the handling of the earlier investigation.

The TVK is questioning the previous government’s handling of the case, while the DMK has denied that it intervened to protect the accused.

At this stage, claims about political interference or deliberate weakening of the earlier investigation should be treated as allegations unless established by the ongoing investigation or judicial proceedings.

India News

Women wrestlers challenge Brij Bhushan’s acquittal in sexual harassment case

Four women wrestlers have challenged the acquittal of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case.

Published

3 hours ago

September 25, 2026

APNLive Desk

Four women wrestlers have approached a Delhi court challenging the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case.

The wrestlers have also challenged the acquittal of co-accused Vinod Tomar. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a Special Judge at the Rouse Avenue Courts.

The appeal challenges the order passed by an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on August 3, 2026, when Brij Bhushan and Tomar were acquitted in the case.

Wrestlers challenge court’s reasoning

In their appeal, the wrestlers have argued that the acquittal order is legally unsustainable and that the evidence was not assessed appropriately.

They have also alleged that the order relied on assumptions about how victims of sexual assault and harassment were expected to behave instead of assessing the evidence and circumstances of the complainants.

The challenge seeks judicial scrutiny of the findings that resulted in the acquittal of Brij Bhushan and Tomar.

Brij Bhushan was acquitted in August

The Rouse Avenue court acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on August 3 in the sexual harassment case involving women wrestlers. The court’s decision followed consideration of the evidence and statements presented during the proceedings.

The case had emerged after several women wrestlers accused the former WFI chief of sexual harassment. The allegations had led to a major protest by wrestlers in 2023.

The latest appeal means the acquittal is now being challenged before a higher court.

India News

Congress protests against Gyanesh Kumar, demands Election chief’s resignation

Congress workers took to the streets against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with protests and demonstrations held over the party’s allegations concerning the Election Commission.

Published

4 hours ago

September 25, 2026

APNLive Desk

Congress stepped up its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with party workers taking to the streets and demanding his resignation amid the ongoing row over the Election Commission.

The protests followed repeated criticism by Congress leaders of the poll panel and its functioning. The party has alleged irregularities in the electoral process and has sought accountability from the Election Commission.

Congress leaders have also targeted Gyanesh Kumar personally, with Rahul Gandhi among those calling for the Chief Election Commissioner to step down.

Congress takes protest to streets

Congress workers staged demonstrations in different places as part of the party’s campaign against the Election Commission.

The protests featured sharp symbolism, including masks and handcuffs, as Congress sought to highlight its allegations against the poll panel and demand action against Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstrations are part of a wider confrontation between the Congress and the Election Commission over issues related to electoral rolls and the conduct of elections.

Congress demands Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

The Congress has repeatedly demanded the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of failing to adequately address the concerns raised by the opposition party.

Rahul Gandhi has also stepped up his criticism of the poll panel. In a statement on Thursday, he demanded that Gyanesh Kumar resign and alleged that the Election Commission had acknowledged the issue of “vote theft”. These are allegations made by the Congress and should not be treated as an established finding unless confirmed by the relevant authority.

The dispute comes amid a broader political debate over electoral rolls, voter verification and the functioning of the Election Commission.

Election Commission under opposition scrutiny

The Congress has intensified its campaign against the poll body in recent weeks, with party leaders repeatedly questioning its decisions and procedures.

The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that India’s electoral process is conducted according to the Constitution, electoral laws and prescribed procedures. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has previously defended the integrity of the electoral system and rejected claims that electronic voting machines can be remotely hacked.

The latest protests add to the continuing political confrontation over the Election Commission and the opposition’s demands concerning the poll panel’s functioning.