In the wake of the electoral rout and strong anti-Congress wave sweeping across India – Mizoram may possibly be the honorable exception – Rahul Gandhi launched a mobile application ‘India 50+’, which sets the stretch goal of India’s grand old party achieving the magic figure of 50 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming general elections.
After the Congress rout, fueled by Namo and AAP’s rise, Congress strategists are staring at its lowest ever tally of seats with some even suggesting that the Congress may be reduced to single digits – Amethi, a few seats in the North East, and a few others across India based on the premise that any realization of a bell curve throws up a few outliers.
Therefore, the launch of Mission 50+ is to shore up sagging morale and achieve the stretch goal of reaching 50 + seats, which combined with AAP’s rise and good showing of other regional parties, may still make Congress a player after the 2014 elections. “We don’t want to get our hopes too high but who knows, maybe Rahul baba may even emerge as the consensus candidate for PM if a third front coalition comes to power at the center. After all, third front coalitions have foisted some very scary chaps like Deve Gowda as PM on an unsuspecting nation,” Digvijaya Singh said.
The mobile app will allow eNREGA volunteers and Rahul fans to touch base, exchange notes, and generally console each other. It will also complement the website India50.com launched a few days earlier.
Diggy also pooh-poohed Dr Kumar Vishwas’s threats of bringing down Rahul Gandhi in his home turf Amethi. “Kumar reminds me of myself so I am fond of him. But he is no threat to Rahul baba. If Kumar Vishwas contests against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi it will be a comedian-turned-politician versus politician-turned-comedian contest,” the former MP CM (yes, can you believe he was one?) said with a twinkle in his eye.