NEW DELHI – On a hot summer evening in 2004 there was a lot of activity at the Congress headquarters on 24, Akbar Road, in New Delhi. The ruling NDA led by the then prime minister AB Vajpayee had called for early Lok Sabha elections riding high on its “India Shining” campaign.
As expected Rahul won from Amethi by a big margin. But the big shock was the BJP-led NDA losing the election. The Congress-led alliance returned to power under Sonia's leadership.
In a dramatic development, Sonia declined the Prime Minister's chair and nominated Dr. Manmohan Singh for the post of PM. A Reluctant Prince
He also started being more vocal in the Lok Sabha. When the Congress returned to power in 2009 by winning 206 seats on its own, there was a demand to make him the prime ministerial candidate. Even though Sonia did not react, party insiders claimed that Rahul was eyeing the 2014 elections. But the 2014 elections were a disaster for the Congress, decimated it was by the rise of Narendra Modi-led BJP. Rahul after 2009
In early 2015, his long absence from India led to speculations that he was no longer interested in politics. But, he returned after the self imposed exile and led the party both inside and outside Parliament, surprising one and all. Dynasty Rules
During the 2014 poll campaign, Rahul said, "My grandmother and father were assassinated, and tomorrow I may also get killed. But I just don't care."
Now he is being "forced" to shoulder the party which is staring at a very bleak future. A BJP supporter joked that one can drive from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh without passing through a single Congress ruled state. Rahul will also have to drive through the same states, which were till recently ruled by his own party to help the Congress return to power at the Centre. Some key moments
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