Rahul as PM face premature: CPI(M)

The Opposition INDIA bloc has not yet decided on naming a prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha election, according to CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby. Congress leaders' premature projection of Rahul Gandhi as the alliance's pre-poll PM candidate is, therefore, unwarranted, Baby told ET on Monday. He emphasized that the INDIA bloc's priority should be strengthening unity rather than prematurely settling on a prime ministerial candidate.

Baby stressed that past Opposition alliances did not announce pre-poll prime ministerial candidates, with decisions made post-poll in previous elections. Some Congress leaders may be considering Gandhi for the PM post due to his role as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but leaders of allied parties may also make similar claims. Baby highlighted the precedent set by past alliances, where decisions on the prime ministership were made after the polls, such as with Deve Gowda, IK Gujral, or Manmohan Singh.

The Left bloc leader's caution comes after senior Congress leaders expressed desire for Tamil Nadu CM Vijay to emerge as a future prime minister, while TVK leaders have publicly supported Gandhi as the INDIA bloc's PM candidate. Many Opposition parties have united under the INDIA bloc to defeat the Modi government in the upcoming election. Baby reiterated the alliance's confidence in achieving this goal but reiterated that no decision has been made on the prime ministerial candidate.