Early Cong list a surprise

The Congress sprang a surprise on Thursday night when it announced its Lok Sabha candidates for seats in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. This signals seriousness of intent on the part of the main all-India party that seeks to challenge the BJP led by formidable political foes like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Typically, the Congress takes time to declare its candidates but has done so now even before the formal announcement of the poll dates by the Election Commission, that is likely any time now.

Of the 15 names that the Congress announced, 11 are from Uttar Pradesh and four from Gujarat. Both states are now BJP strongholds. In Gujarat, it will for all practical purposes be a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress.

Against all odds, the latter surprised the political spectrum in December 2017 when it came close to snatching a victory from the BJP in the Assembly election. It’s to be seen if that momentum can hold. Young Patidar insurgent leader Hardik Patel, who was a collaborator of the Congress in 2017, is said to be contemplating fighting on a Congress ticket for Parliament. If Mr Patel’s entry can boost the party in major urban centres, its Achilles’ heel, that will be a big plus for the challengers.

In UP, the Congress nominated those who had won on the party’s ticket in 2009, when it had surprisingly done very well, winning 21 seats. But the field is far more complex now, with the strong BSP-SP “secular” alliance also taking on the BJP statewide.