Senior Congress general secretary K C Venugopal confirmed that Rahul Gandhi will be the face of the INDIA alliance in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, dismissing reports that the Tamil Nadu Voters’ Kendra had proposed Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.
Venugopal highlighted Gandhi’s focus on issues that resonate with students, farmers and the youth, noting that the leader’s campaigns have attracted widespread attention across India. He described Gandhi as the most prominent figure loved by the public, whose decisions and actions are closely followed.
While acknowledging differences among the alliance’s constituent parties, Venugopal said the INDIA bloc remains strong and is moving forward. He criticized the CPI(M) in Kerala for not learning from past mistakes and accused the party’s leader of opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, of hindering progress.
The general secretary also criticized the BJP government, accusing it of steering the country toward a “dark age.” He cited the police crackdown on student protests at Jantar Mantar and the “purification” of a stage where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge spoke in Uttarakhand as evidence of a deteriorating political climate that requires a robust counter‑effort.
