New Delhi, August 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is increasingly focusing on public issues and opposition alliances as the party prepares for upcoming Assembly elections, with his latest intervention over alleged police action against protesting students signalling an effort to build a sharper political narrative.
As Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi on Friday staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office at Parliament Street Police Station, demanding action over an alleged pellet-gun injury suffered by a student during a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The BJP has rejected allegations of police brutality and pointed to a five-member committee constituted by the Supreme Court to examine the July 20 incident. Gandhi, however, has continued to raise the issue, seeking to project the Congress as a defender of democratic rights and students.
The strategy comes against the backdrop of repeated electoral setbacks for the Congress and its continuing efforts to strengthen its position through opposition alliances.
During the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, Gandhi had made the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a prominent campaign issue. However, the issue failed to generate the expected political traction among allies, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance returned to power with a wider majority.
With Uttar Pradesh among the states heading towards elections, the Congress is again seeking issues capable of connecting with voters, particularly young people. The party appears keen to carry the student protest issue from Delhi to the state, while also raising other matters such as alleged irregularities involving Ram Janmabhoomi Trust funds.
Uttar Pradesh remains particularly significant for the Congress. Once a dominant force in the state, the party has been reduced to a marginal player amid the rise of regional parties and the BJP’s strong organisational network.
The Congress received a boost in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after its alliance with the Samajwadi Party performed strongly in Uttar Pradesh. However, the Rahul Gandhi-Akhilesh Yadav combination, popularly projected as “UP ke ladke”, had failed to deliver a breakthrough in earlier Assembly elections.
The Congress is now also placing greater emphasis on structured alliance management. The party has set up coordination mechanisms to handle coalition dynamics, following difficulties in seat-sharing negotiations during the Bihar polls, particularly with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
For Gandhi, the challenge is to convert political narratives and alliances into electoral gains while overcoming the perception created by successive defeats. The Congress’ strategy is therefore increasingly centred on combining issue-based mobilisation with broader opposition coordination ahead of crucial state elections.
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