Leaderless and lost

A Congress in denial cedes space to a slick and energised BJP

The rise of Narendra Modi within the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and his followers' complete domination of the internet and new media appear to have stunned much of the ruling Congress party into submission. And the rest of the party seems to be in denial, an attitude evident in its rubbishing - and desire to ban - opinion polls suggesting a large increase in its unpopularity. Between those who have given up on the possibility of a third United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and those who believe that it is inevitable, the Congress' campaign is floundering in a morass of confusion and self-deception.

This is not good news for Indian voters, who deserve to be offered a clear set of alternatives that they can choose from. It is clear what Mr Modi stands for in terms of social policy, if not what he intends to do to repair India's economy. In the absence of a more aggressive and positive attitude in this lead-up to general elections from Mr Modi's main competitors, there is no pressure on him to make his platform more explicit. Nor will India's electorate be presented with a true choice unless the Congress gets in the game soon. Instead, the Congress, led by its vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, appears to have decided to distance itself from the government it has led. Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has largely left matters to Mr Gandhi, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is, as usual, more silent than he need be.

The question that needs to be asked of Mr Gandhi and his Congress is: are they ashamed of whatever the UPA may have achieved in the past 10 years in power? If not, why are they unwilling to run on their record? While the failures of the UPA to conduct second-generation reform and clean up a sclerotic and corruption-prone decision-making system are considerable, there is little doubt that in terms of disposable income and human indicators, the UPA has something it can take to the voters. If the voters did in fact want inclusive growth, then the UPA has made some headway towards delivering that - regardless of the fact that the end of its term coincides with a business cycle downturn and an investment freeze partly caused by its own mismanagement. Is this a story that the Congress' strategists are truly unable to sell? If so, perhaps the party needs some new ones.

The leaderless, lost Congress has thus completely ceded the political space to a resurgent Mr Modi, causing many electoral segments that could have otherwise been a battleground to become a walkover for the BJP. The Congress' unpopularity with the middle class that it has largely ignored for years is understandable; but the middle class are not the only voters in urban and semi-urban areas. The Congress, however, seems to have decided to sit out the battle for their votes, leaving it to the much slicker BJP campaign to make the case for Mr Modi, online and offline. And it is an informed electoral process that loses as a consequence.