Building the second and third rung. The BJP’s long game

This choice should not be read as a dismissal of Kharge's stature or contribution. He is a seasoned parliamentarian with decades of experience, a record of administrative competence, and a significant role in both party organization and national politics. His rise also carries symbolic and substantive importance, given his long-standing representation of marginalized communities. However, one of the principal reasons for his selection was his caste identity, as he belongs to the Dalit community. While this addressed representational considerations, it came at the cost of generational renewal.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

At forty-five, Nitin Nabin is all set be elected as the next national president of the BJP as he filed his nomination got the said position. In contrast, the Congress had an opportunity to transfer leadership toa younger figure in 2022 but instead chose the eighty-three-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge.

This choice should not be read as a dismissal of Kharge’s stature or contribution. He is a seasoned parliamentarian with decades of experience, a record of administrative competence, and a significant role in both party organization and national politics. His rise also carries symbolic and substantive importance, given his longstanding representation of marginalized communities.

However, one of the principal reasons for his selection was his caste identity, as he belongs to the Dalit community.

While this addressed representational considerations, it came at the cost of generational renewal. In doing so, the Congress missed a critical opportunity for organizational reinvention. A leadership transition to a younger figure could have been one concrete step toward reviving a party that has struggled to regain political relevance in a rapidly changing political environment.