Mainstream WeeklyThe voting pattern in the Rajya Sabha (RS) elections in Bihar and Odisha while has exposed the deepening crisis of unity within INDIA bloc, it has also put a big question mark on the tenability and pertinence of the politico ideological contour, a consistent, guiding set of political principles, beliefs, and strategies adopted to achieve a specific vision of society, being pursued by Rahul Gandhi as an alternative to the age old ideology of Congress. Politico-ideological line acts as a "blueprint" for action, determining how a group interprets reality, defines its goals, and decides on the means to change or maintain the existing social and power structure.
Yet another striking feature of the Rahya Sabha elections was Muslim MLAs of Congress voting for BJP candidates or deliberately abstaining from the election process in order to facilitate the victory of BJP candidates, notwithstanding the Muslim community expressing their resentment and deep anguish at the discriminatory and humiliating attitude of the BJP/RSS and its leaders towards the Muslims. It was indeed shocking to witness Odisha Congress MLA Sofia Firdous defying the party direction and voting for BJP. In Bihar too the RJD MLA Faisal Rahman abstained from voting. They have their explanations, which a copious look unravels the reality. It is indeed shocking to construe how the Muslim MLAs could help BJP, whose leaders simply have vitriolic jibes for them.
The reasons behind Muslim MLAs cross voting in favour of BJP candidates are quite intriguing. Such actions involved a mix of personal interest, political survival, and dissatisfaction with their original party leadership. It is said that Sofia has been an ardent follower of Rahul. She has even described Rahul Gandhi as her "leader and inspiration," describing him as a "vitamin" for the party and expressing admiration for his focus on women, tribals, and Dalits. Firdous, the first Muslim woman MLA in Odisha, has actively shared the stage with Rahul Gandhi and posted about meeting him. She has participated in meetings with him and, in a sign of loyalty, filed an FIR against a social media post targeting Rahul Gandhi in July 2025.
Fragility of the relation could well be understood from her voting for BJP. It is alleged that her father, also a Congress man, has been found to be allegedly involved in some kind scam. Some Muslim representatives have argued that mainstream parties like the Congress have merely used the community for political gain. Conversely, they perceive the BJP as genuinely aiming for inclusive growth and development, leading them to align with the ruling party for better community engagement. Strange the Muslim could feel this neglect by Congress leadership just on the day of voting
In Odisha the Congress had even issued whip. But their commitment to BJP was so acute that they dared to violate the whip. Congress MLAs Sofia Firdous, Ramesh Jena, and Dasarathi Gamango, defied the official party whip to vote for a BJP-backed independent candidate, Dilip Ray. Reports indicate that many cross-voting MLAs were unhappy with the state and central leadership of the Congress party. They often felt neglected or that their loyalty was not valued by the party high command. However opposition parties (like Congress) alleged that the BJP engaged in "poaching" or "horse-trading" to entice MLAs with money or high-ranking posts. Of course the three Congress MLAs were immediately suspended and faced expulsion for "betraying" the party.
It is indeed a matter of shame that the premise that "ideology has no place before monetary or material gain" suggests a pragmatic, or often cynical, worldview where economic necessity and profit (materialism) override belief systems, principles, or political ideas (ideology). Marxist theory argues that ideology is part of a "superstructure" dependent on the economic base. In this view, material conditions determine ideas, not the other way around. Thus, ideology often serves the interests of those with economic power. In a profit-driven capitalist system, economic pressures can force individuals or companies to prioritize material gain over ethical, social, or environmental ideologies.
In some cases, ideology is used as a cover or justification for economic pursuits, where "ideas" are adapted to serve material interests. It is a fact that ideas, ideologies, and scientific advancements can and do drive material conditions. Ideology can act as a catalyst for changing production, organizing workers, or shifting economic systems. Material gains often dictate actions, ideology frequently acts as the driving force behind how that material wealth is sought, produced, and distributed.
The same factors worked in Bihar too. All the four legislators, three from Congress and one from RJD, instead of daring to vote openly, preferred to abstain from the voting. The new dynamics reveal a shift where opposition legislators are increasingly willing to break party lines to align with the BJP, particularly in the wake of the 2024 general assembly elections in Odisha. In Bihar, the NDA achieved a clean sweep by winning all five Rajya Sabha seats. The opposition members who abstained were Faisal Rahman (RJD), Surender Kushwaha, Manoj Biswas, and Manohar Prasad Singh (All Congress). While in Odisha before the election, Congress shifted MLAs to Bengaluru, signalling acute fear of poaching, which ultimately failed to stop cross-voting, in Bihar they were kept in a local hotel by RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav.
The story of missing MLA is also incredulous. They were taken to assembly to vote on the D-day. Nevertheless if they were missing before the legislators were taken to the hotel, the matter must have come to the knowledge of Tejashvi. But not so missing case reverberated in the state capital. Entire issue is surrounded in mystery. Their mysterious disappearance simply strengthens the belief that Rahul has nit succeeded in imparting basic indoctrination to the rank and file. It also underlines that these MLAs are not dedicated Congress cadres. They are like any other turncoat.
The ferocity and dedication with which Rahul has been trying to accomplish his mission has successfully created an impression across the country that a new Congress keeping compatibility with the prevailing time and socio-political compulsions would soon emerge on the political horizon of the country. His political strategy has pivoted towards a strong, consistent focus on Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits, and Adivasis, aiming to reshape Indian politics by challenging the existing social and economic structure. His approach focused on proportional representation and "power" over mere representation, framing this as a necessary revolution to address inequality and social justice. Gandhi has constantly conveyed to the Dalit and OBC that a nationwide caste census is the first step toward justice and understanding the "real population and true strength" of the backward classes.
Making a significant shift from the old political practices of the Congress, Rahul has emphasized that marginalized communities need a stake in institutions like the judiciary, bureaucracy, and corporate sector, not just political representation. He has criticized the practice of marking OBC/SC/ST seats as "not found suitable" in universities and institutions, calling it a new form of "Manuvaad" and a tool to block their inclusion. He has called for an "X-Ray" of the country to identify wealth inequality, promising to use this data to allocate resources to the underserved. By focusing on "Jitni aabadi, utna haq" (rights in proportion to population), Rahul has forced the issue of social justice to the forefront of the political agenda.
But the instances of cross voting or abstention makes it implicit that his efforts and determination to transform the party, turn it more pro-poor and underprivileged has failed to have significant impact on the party leaders. They still continue to subscribe to the old demagogic politics. Rahul on many occasion admitted past mistakes, stating that if Congress had kept the trust of Dalits and backward classes over the last 15 years, the RSS/BJP would not have come to power. But it failed to have any psychological impact on them. His intense focus to break into the solid OBC vote bank that has supported the BJP, aiming to create a new electoral coalition, continues a distant dream though his campaign forced the government to announce a population survey that includes caste data, which the Congress has touted as a major victory.
The instances of cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections, have led to criticism that the opposition, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, has not fully secured the loyalty of its legislators, which some interpret as a failure to consolidate the support base of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and Dalits. Cross-voting in states like Odisha, where Congress MLAs supported a BJP-backed candidate, has been interpreted as a failure to keep the party’s own flock united, reflecting a lack of confidence in the leadership.
The new dynamics reveal a shift where opposition legislators are increasingly willing to break party lines to align with the BJP. Rahul has been quite aggressive in Parliament and does not miss a single opportunity to attack Modi. But this is not enough to gain back lost space in the electoral oriented politics. A leader having earned the image of a consistent loser would not be able to provide an ideological orientation to the party and also indoctrinate the cadres. His image of loser will prove to be a deterrent. He can be looked as a crusader for public cause, but he would not acquire the stature of vote-catcher.
During the Bihar assembly election in October 2025, he was the star attraction. People thronged his rallies and meetings. This has given rise to sense of self-efficacy amongst the leaders of INDIA bloc. This element eventually became the major factor for their defeat. Rahul did not evolve a mechanism for booth management while saffron ecosystem primarily focussed on this. BJO brought trainload of cadres and paid voters from UP and Jharkhand. But the INDIA bloc leaders refused to acknowledge their presence in the state. They came, performed their duty and silently went back. It is not that the saffron design was not raised in the public domain. While the Supreme court was hearing the SIR exercise, apprehensions were expressed of massive deletion of voters. But neither Rahul nor Tejashvi paid heed to it and eventually the INDIA bloc lost the election as their supporters were not allowed to vote.
The Bihar RS elections are characterized by a highly competitive and often volatile scenario where the ruling alliance attempts to maximize its gains, sometimes at the expense of internal cohesiveness in the opposition. The NDA, led by Nitish Kumar holds a comfortable majority in the 243-member assembly, allowing them to secure most seats. While the NDA comfortably wins four seats, the fight for the 5th seat often hinges on the support of smaller parties (like AIMIM or independents), making it a prestige contest. The election highlighted significant weakness in the opposition (RJD), where 4 opposition MLAs (3 from Congress, 1 from RJD) failed to cast votes, ensuring an NDA victory for the fifth seat. Cracks in the opposition alliances, lack of coordination between RJD and Congress have proven decisive in key contests. The overall dynamic is characterized as a "power shift," where the BJP-led NDA has successfully converted its increased Legislative Assembly strength into a tighter grip on the Rajya Sabha, reducing the influence of previously dominant regional parties.
Gandhi has pushed for ideological clarity, calling the Congress a "movement" rather than just an organisation-based party, aimed at reclaiming its pluralistic legacy. But it is also a fact that this remained confined to the periphery of the urban politics. Leadership