Cong fears reversal of fortunes

Which political dispensation will benefit most from the movement that got massive support especially from the burgeoning Indian middle class? These are a few questions thrown up by the anti-graft movement.

In the realm of electoral politics in the immediate future this movement is likely to hurt the prospects of Congress in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled early next year.
In UP, where Congress does not have a strong organisational structure, the party was being seen a symbol of opposition to Mayawati government after party general secretary Rahul Gandhi took up the cause of the farmer community in the western part of the state.
However, the movement built up on the issue of corruption by various ruling dispensations was dominated by anti-Congress feeling, with people blaming the party for skyrocketing inflation. Hence, the movement washed out the efforts of the Gandhi scion to realise his Mission 2012 in the state.

Maya’s vote bank

At the same time the movement has not been able to attract people from Mayawati’s vote bank – Dalits, who maintained a distance - which had a typical urban middle class character.  In the long term, the movement, which has put the Congress-led UPA government on the back foot will possibly benefit the BJP if the party would be able to channelise the anger of people against the government till Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

Party benefit

“If Bharatiya Janata Party succeeds to continue the momentum of the movement and channelise the anguish of people against the Congress-led  UPA government, then this anti-corruption movement will definitely benefit the party,” said Professor Badri Narayan, a political analyst at G B Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad.