The Race For The 2014 Indian PM
The most important Lok Sabha elections in the history of India is going to happen in 2014. People from all over India are debating whether Congress will retain its position or a new leader and a new political party will emerge as the winner. This year, 2013 will definitely play a crucial role in deciding our new Prime Minister. The fate of many Chief Ministers and candidates for the post of Prime Minister of India will be decided this year. The main candidates for the hot seat of PM are Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi or P Chidambaram from Indian National Congress, Narendra Modi from BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), and Nitish Kumar from NDA (National Democratic Alliance). Let us take a look at each of these and find out whether they are really eligible for the post of Prime Minister.
1) Manmohan Singh
The Congress had announced that they fill fight the 2014 elections under Manmohan Singh. This has created a lot of confusion among people because everybody expected Rahul Gandhi to be the Congress candidate for the upcoming elections. Manmohan Singh is the current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru, to return to power after completing a full five year term. He had served also as The Finance Minister Of India. His public image has been severely damaged with the party going through corruptions. He is termed as a "weak" Prime Minister because of his inability to take decisions.
2) Rahul Gandhi
Anything can happen in Indian politics and people are hoping that Rahul Gandhi stands up for the prime ministerial challenge. He is the most natural choice from Congress, as he is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. He is already the Vice President of Indian National Congress and the Chairperson of The Indian Youth Congress. In 2012 assembly elections, he campaigned extensively in the state of Uttar Pradesh, hoping that his popularity will reestablish Congress rule in the state but Congress only managed to win 6 more seats than the previous election. Congress is currently going through a very difficult phase with inflation and corruption running amok through the party. The future of the Congress is on the shoulders of Rahul Gandhi. The answer everybody wants to know is whether Rahul Gandhi will participate in the 2014 elections or like his mother Sonia Gandhi, he will also renounce power and continue with his dual role in the party. If he opted for Prime Ministership, then lets see what are his strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
1. He is only 42, which makes him the youngest candidate in the history of India for the post of Prime Minister. As he is young, his youthful appeal has many youth followers.
2. He is fluent in many Indian languages. This fluency may help him to overcome any communication barriers with the public.
3. He has travelled throughout India and has spent a lot of time with ordinary people. So he has a thorough knowledge about the basic problems faced by the ordinary people.
4. His relationship with others members of the party is indisputable. There is no one in the Congress party who thinks that he should not participate in the elections.
Weaknesses
1. He has a stubborn attitude.
2. He is just an amateur in the field of politics. He has very little experience.
3. His followers are mainly youngsters and he has not been able to influence mature voters.
3) P Chidambaram
P Chidambaram belongs to the Indian National Congress and he should be given a shot at Prime Ministership if and only if Rahul Gandhi backs out. He definitely deserves it more than Manmohan Singh. He is currently The Union Minister Of Finance of India. In the most controversial 2G Spectrum scam, he was given a clean chit by the Supreme Court of India. He was also the Finance Minister of India from 2004 to 2008. He also served as the Home Affairs Minister for a period of three and a half years. He is the most eligible finance minister India had ever seen. The main strengths and few weaknesses of P Chidambaram are:
Strengths
1. The main strength is his immense knowledge and intelligence. He is also a very hardworking person.
2. He has vast experience in the field of finance as well as home affairs.
3. He is very good in finding solutions and planning.
4. He is not involved in any scams so he is probably incorruptible.
Weaknesses
1. He is fluent in English but he is very poor in Hindi.
2. He might be the finance or home affairs minister of India but he has no experience in the matters of State governance.
3. He is liked as well as disliked by the members of the congress party, so the chances of accepting him as a leader is impossible.
4) Narendra Modi
The most popular contender for the upcoming elections is Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister Of Gujarat. He is the public face of BJP. There is no other leader in the BJP who can come close to him for national popularity. He holds the record for the longest serving chief minister in the history of Gujarat. The turning point in the political life of Modi came in the year of 2002 in the form of Godhra riots. The Hindutva agenda was popularized by him. He was suspected of having played a crucial rule in the communal riots but nothing was proved against him. Even after all this, the people of Gujarat elected him as their chief minister. He delivered to the expectations of his people. Whatever promises he made to his people, he planned it and achieved it. Gujarat is now one of the most developed states in India and the vision behind this development is of Narendra Modi. The strengths and weaknesses of this great developer are:
Strengths
1. Most of have read about the funeral speech given by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caeser. If we listen to the speeches given by Modi, we will find a Mark Antony in him in terms of a brilliant orator. In the current political scenario there is no other brilliant speaker than Modi.
2. He has the support of the majority of the Indians especially the Hindus.
3. He has established himself as a developer and a visionary by changing the socioeconomic conditions of Gujarat.
4. He is a man of his words and had always delivered on his promises.
Weaknesses
1. He had started his political career from RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) but now during the crucial period of his life, he does not have the support from RSS.
2. He likes to be in total and absolute control of what he does and this attitude of his has made, the leaders of BJP dislike him.
3. The NDA (National Democratic Aliiance) parties don't have much faith in him.
5) Nitish Kumar
The battle is between the BJP and the NDA over the issue of Prime Ministerial candidate. The NDA candidate for the upcoming elections is Nitish Kumar. Only time will tell whether the JD-U (Janata dal-United) party will support him. He is currently the Chief Minister of Bihar. He has done a lot in the field of development for Bihar by building bridges, roads, and controlling the increasing crime ratio. His strengths and weaknesses are:
Strengths
1. He is abundantly experienced in the field of politics.
2. There are no criminal cases against him, so he has a clean political record.
3. He has done a lot for the development of Bihar.
Weaknesses
1. His political party is not known to everybody in India.
2. He has no political influence outside Bihar.
According to me the most possible contenders for the 2014 elections should be Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. If Manmohan Singh participates in the election, then the chances of winning for Congress is nil but Rahul Gandhi may give a decent fight against Narendra Modi. Lets wait and watch to know what happens in this "great Indian political Circus".
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.