There are two parallel narratives about Rahul Gandhi’s politics at this moment — well, three, if you include those who oppose him. But, among those who think the Leader of the Opposition is enjoying a bit of a sweet spot, two varying responses are on offer.

One line of thinking is that Gandhi is the unflinching ideological counter to the BJP and the Indian Right wing, who, after a brief flirtation with soft Hindutva (remember the temple runs and the Congress’ claim of him being a janeudhari Brahmin?), has doubled down on a hard mix of secularism and social justice invocations. This school of thought casts the battle between the BJP and the Opposition as a clash of principles and assumes the floating voter has seen the light.

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The other, very different argument explaining the traction Gandhi is enjoying suggests that India has entered a post-ideological political phase. Economic restlessness, a veritable jobs crisis, and an angst over administrative and governance issues figure at the top of everybody’s minds. Right-Left ideological binaries, in this scenario, are irrelevant.

As is often the case with much in Indian politics, neither theory fits neatly or exactly.

There definitely seems to be a distinct ennui with the oft-repeated tropes of religious identity politics. And that hasn’t started now. In 2024, the BJP slipped below the majority mark; the inauguration of the Ram Mandir a few months prior to the elections barely yielded any extra points.

You could argue that a host of other factors led to the knocks the BJP took in UP, including an alleged lack of perfect........

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