Why Rahul Gandhi Is Betting On Kanhaiya Kumar In North East Delhi

On 14 April, 2024, in a sudden but expected development, Congress decided to field Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi. He will challenge incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Manoj Tiwari of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the seat.

Though Kumar doesn't strictly come from the Purvanchal belt in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, his Bihari lineage is the reason why he is pitched as a Purvanchali candidate against another Purvanchali, Manoj Tiwari.

Kumar, who contested 2019 general election from the Begusarai seat in Bihar and lost to BJP's Giriraj Singh, is a communist turned Congress member.

Why Not Begusarai Again?

Kumar is a victim of his own ‘success’ in Bihar. His first ascendancy to national fame was when he was accused of raising anti-national slogans as the president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU). Despite negative fame, Kumar became the favourite of the lobby deprived of its power after the 2014 victory of the BJP.

For established politician like Lalu Yadav in his native state, Kumar’s fame was a challenge to his son Tejaswi Yadav. When Kumar emerged onto the scene, Lalu had spent years eliminating Tejaswi’s rivals, including his once favourite Pappu Yadav from the scene. 

When Kumar was seen as a credible challenge to Giriraj Singh in 2019 polls, Lalu decided to stop his rise by fielding Tanweer Hasan from the seat. Hasan was critical in widening the victory margin for Singh.

In 2021, Kumar joined Congress and immediately demanded accountability for what his new party got by aligning with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lalu’s party. RJD was never questioned in this manner by Congress. It further angered the party. From then, till a few weeks ago, tug of war between Kumar and RJD has continued.

When the Indian National Developmental Inclusive (INDI) Alliance deliberated on its seat sharing arrangement in Bihar, RJD made sure that Congress did not get Begusarai.

Congress getting opportunity to field its own candidate from constituency would have pushed Kumar’s candidature in the forefront. After the announcement, Kumar’s future was being considered in doldrums.

Rahul Gandhi Wanted Kumar

Despite majorly being active in Bihar political space, Kumar has accompanied Rahul Gandhi in his yatras and has established rapport with him. He is also Gandhi’s choice for the National Students Union of India (NSUI), Congress students’ body. It is his closeness with Gandhi which is considered as a game changer in determining Kumar's candidacy.

Local Congress cadres are said to be opposing Kumar’s candidacy. They wanted Arvind Singh Lovely or Sandeep Dixit to challenge Manoj Tiwari. However, Gandhi did not want to lose Kumar.

“Kanhaiya is none other than Rahul ji’s choice and paves the way for his elevation in more ways than one — especially organisationally — for him. The party has invested in him not only as a Purvanchali face, but a future leader who will likely be at the core of the Congress’s resurrection in the capital in the coming days,” said a senior Congress leader

But Why North East Delhi?

Kumar’s regional identity, just like that of Tiwari is said to have played a major role in selection of this seat.

North East Delhi constituency mainly comprises people migrated from other states, mostly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, collectively called as Purvanchal. A considerable section survives on hand-to-mouth existence. One can see hundreds of unauthorised colonies in areas like Burari, Karawal Nagar, Seemapuri, Gokulpuri, accommodating lakhs of people in them. 

Tiwari was chosen for his Purvanchal credentials in 2014. He won from the seat with a bigger margin in 2019. In 2024, he is the only incumbent BJP MP in Delhi who has been fielded by the BJP.

Congress realises that scope of challenging Tiwari on development is limited, which is why it is banking on Kumar’s Purvanchali face.

The Minority Factor

Apart from 'Purvanchali' face, Kumar’s candidature is also attributed to an attempt by the Congress to consolidate Muslim votes.

More than 30 per cent of voters in North East Delhi constituency are Muslims. Seelampur, Mustafabad and Babarpur are some of the areas where Muslim population is dense, most of them living in constricted space. Apart from their welfare, the identity aspect of their lives and general sentiments around it are also key factors.

Its zenith was seen in 2020, when tensions around Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an issue which has nothing to do with local Muslim population, had resulted in full-fledged riot in the constituency.

Kumar has been a vocal critic of CAA. Even on Delhi riots, his stand is widely perceived as titled towards the minority community. Congress wants to take full advantage of it.