Why Patel's win matters: A defeat could have meant more trouble for the Congress

Ahmed Patel, considered among the most powerful leaders in the Congress party and a member of the "old guard", fought tooth and nail to retain his Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat. It was, perhaps,the toughest battle he fought in his long political career.

The "chief trouble-shooter" of the Congress has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 1993 and had served in the Lok Sabha for 12 years before that.

Three seats in the Upper House of the Parliament were up for grabs from the state of Gujarat. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani sailed through from two of those seats courtesy their party's near two-thirds majority in the state assembly.

The Congress required the support of at least 44 MLAs to ensure Patel made it to the Rajya Sabha. Following a slew of defections from the party, Patel's chances were dented. And after a feverish build-up to the elections and hours-long drama on the day of voting and counting, Patel finally triumphed.

Battle at Sonia Gandhi's doorstep

The 67-year-old politician is the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and was credited with playing a major role in the party's victory in the 2004 and 2009 General Elections. He was also the parliamentary secretary to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A loss would not only have dented Patel's reputation, but also have seen BJP's attack reach Sonia Gandhi's doorstep.

Exposes Congress

A fortnight ago, Congress veteran Shankersinh Vaghela claimed that he was booted out of the party. After his departure, as many as six Congress MLAs close to him defected, three of which joined the BJP. A jittery Congress shipped 44 of their MLAs from Gujarat to a resort in Bangalore to prevent any further defections. The legislators were brought back to Gujarat just a day before voting and again housed in a resort together.

So, if Patel lost, it would have been in spite of the measures taken by Congress and the party would have drawn flak for not being able to keep its flock together.

Blow in Rajya Sabha

Congress and the BJP with 57 and 58 seats respectively are currently standing neck-to-neck in the Rajya Sabha.

A loss for Patel would have not only meant Sonia Gandhi lost her close confidant from the Rajya Sabha, but it would also resulted in a further drop in their tally.

A defeat for Patel would have represented a big blow for the 'grand old party' ahead of the forthcoming Gujarat Assembly Election as well as the 2019 Lok Sabha election. While there is still a lot of work for the Congress to do ahead of those Assembly elections, Patel's win certainly comes a shot in the arm.