Too early to say whether Rahul Gandhi will be projected as 2029 PM face: Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan; harps on Opposition unity

Mumbai: Congress veteran Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said it was too early to decide whether party MP Rahul Gandhi would be projected as the Opposition's PM candidate in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, stressing the larger priority should be to prevent division of anti-BJP votes.

In an interaction with PTI journalists at the news agency's Mumbai office, the former Maharashtra chief minister emphasised the Congress would have to work with regional parties for forging Opposition unity to take on the ruling BJP-led NDA.

He insisted INDIA bloc constituents, including the Samajwadi Party, would remain important to any effort to take on the saffron outfit and hoped the DMK which exited the Opposition alliance following a fallout with the Congress post-Tamil Nadu polls, will be back in the grouping.


"It is difficult for me to say today whether the Congress party will project a Prime Ministerial face or whom it will project, and whether INDIA bloc will take a decision after the polls," Chavan said when asked if Gandhi would be the Opposition's face for the top post in 2029 when the next Lok Sabha polls are due.

The Congress politician, however, expressed confidence Gandhi's wide acceptability among people will translate into electoral gains for the party and its allies.

The former Union minister hoped the DMK, a political heavyweight in Tamil Nadu, will come back to the INDIA bloc.

"They have shown their displeasure. I don't know who is negotiating on behalf of the INDIA bloc with the DMK," he said.

Chavan stressed the Congress should focus on strengthening its organisation and reaching out to young people, while working with regional parties rather than allowing differences to weaken the Opposition.

"Our best approach will be to make sure that the Opposition vote does not get divided. This goal is not easy to achieve, but it is not impossible either. We must try," he asserted.

The 80-year-old politician's remarks came amid renewed efforts by the Opposition parties to evolve a joint strategy against the BJP, which is in power at the Centre since 2014, ahead of the next general elections.

Asked about Gandhi's leadership, Chavan pointed to the Raebareli Lok Sabha MP's continuous efforts to strengthen the party organisation and connect with young people, who form a large chunk of voters.

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition was travelling to state capitals and addressing organisational programmes as part of the Congress' efforts to understand people's concerns and address them, he maintained.

Chavan affirmed the recent Gen Z agitation at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, triggered by the NEET paper leak, demonstrated that young people were increasingly concerned about their future, particularly education, employment and economic security.

"This agitation was an expression of genuine anger against the system," he claimed.

The mechanical engineer-turned-politician argued that the concerns expressed by the young protesters cut across language, regional and social barriers.

"Ultimately, the question is about what happens to our future and what economic security we will have. That is a question which cuts across language, regional and state barriers. It cuts across everything," said the former MP.

Chavan noted the Congress' youth outreach programme, including its "Chhatron Ki Goonj" (voice of students) campaign, was aimed at understanding these concerns and rebuilding the party's connect with the younger generation.

He insisted the Congress would have to focus on issues such as examination reforms, education, public health and jobs rather than relying only on political narratives.

"Right now, more than anything else, we need good education and robust public health system," he maintained.

The Congress leader suggested that the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment could become a major political issue by 2029.

"I particularly feel that the impact of AI on jobs will be so huge that all other issues may become insignificant. Only jobs will matter," he said.

Chavan underscored the Congress' challenge would be to convert growing public discontent into electoral support through a strong grassroots organisation.

He maintained the Opposition would have to accommodate the political strengths of regional parties.

The DMK in Tamil Nadu and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, he suggested, would have an important role in any broader Opposition strategy to take on the BJP because of their regional influence.

However, he cautioned alliance arithmetic alone would not be enough to defeat the BJP.

"The strategy will not evolve in one day. We will keep learning from what happens," the former Union minister opined.

Chavan said political commentary leading up to 2029 would be shaped increasingly by economic concerns, particularly unemployment, inflation, agriculture and the changing nature of jobs.

For the Congress, he emphasised, the immediate task was to rebuild its organisation, connect with young voters and ensure that Opposition parties did not compete against each other in a manner that benefited the BJP.

Chavan felt Hindutva, a core issue for the BJP, was losing its appeal as a political ideology.

"I think Hindutva is losing its appeal as a political ideology. Mr Bhagwat (RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat) would not have to undertake this foreign journey to explain to the world what Hindutva means if there was no confusion about it," he argued.

RSS chief Bhagwat recently completed a three-nation outreach tour to the US, Canada, and the UK as part of the organisation's centenary celebrations.

Chavan claimed there was contradiction between RSS's messaging and what BJP leaders say and do on the ground, including on issues of language, food, dress and "bulldozer justice".

Asked about controversy over the GDP number for the June quarter released by the government, the former Union minister questioned the methodology and interpretation of GDP data.

India reported 7.8 per cent GDP growth for the April-June quarter of 2026.

"Changing the base year is a routine thing. When you change the base year, numbers change. The question is whether the methodology used for calculating GDP is correct or not. That has to be examined. You cannot simply look at the GDP member and say economy is doing well. You have to look at empirical evidence," Chavan insisted.