Rahul Gandhi. File photoEven as Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal are talking of emphasis for youth, the old guard in many states are refusing to take guard. Some senior politicians who have completed more than half a century of electioneering and fought elections from 1960s are snapping at the starting tape. This is true in many regional parties, but elders in national parties are also showing they have strong legs and lungs as far as elections are concerned. Despite the mantle of prime ministerial candidate being passed to Narendra Modi, BJP stalwart L K Advani has just declared that his political journey is far from over, and is ready to contest elections again. the octogenarian's office has received requests from many constituencies in the country that he should come for campaign meetings.
Five years ago, Prakash Singh Badal, one of founders of Akali Dal had indicated that he would hand over the reins of both party and government to his son Sukhbir, but now he is moving with great zeal. He has been organising conclaves of non congress chief ministers and his followers want to continue to be the leader. M.Karunanidhi who had declared younger son M K Stalin as his successor has become more active due to the feud between Stalin and elder brother M K Alagiri. Karunanidhi has declared that he would travel through Tamil Nadu. Both Sukhbir and Stalin were given deputy chief ministerial posts, making certain the succession path.
Another octogenarian who is calling the shots in his party is CPI veteran A B Bardhan, even though he had stepped down as the general secretary in favour of Sudhakar Reddy. Bardhan is here, there and everywhere as he travels tirelessly to meet regional party leaders to cobble up a third front. Reddy, unlike other supremos of the communist party has let Bardhan take the initiative and satisfied with dealing with regular party matters. But it is Bardhan who is at the high table of striking deals with leaders like Jayalalithaa, Nitish Kumar and H D Deve Gowda. Another communist veteran who is hyperactive in campaigning and public agenda setting is V S Achuthanandan, but he has less control over party matters at both national and state level.
In Karnataka, Gowda who contested his first election to assembly in 1962, has declared that 2014 would be his last. but Gowda's admirers in the Janata Dal(secular) do not believe their leader would hang up his political career soon. He is fired up for forging a third front, even though his own party was flattered by the success of his one time protege Siddaramaiah, who is now the Congress Chief Minister of the state. But Gowda who had declared that he would emerge from the ashes, when his 11 month government was overthrown in 1997, is promising a phoenix like performance in Karnataka. His younger son H D Kumaraswamy who had become chief minister for 20 months, has not displayed much enthusiasm for negotiating national level alliances and fronts. On the other hand, Gowda hosted a breakfast meeting for third front leaders when Lok Sabha began its last session on February 5. There is no age bar for political enthusiasm and control.
Tailpiece: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would visit Myanmar in March first week for a summit of the regional group of Bay of Bengal littoral countries, which include Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. This would be the first visit of Singh to the eastern Neighbour where democracy is returning in stages. He had been keen on visiting Myanmar and Pakistan ever since he took office.
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