Mr Chouhan is only one of those positioning himself as an alternative, or a contrast, to Narendra Modi at the national level - both within and outside the BJP. Indeed, Mr Modi's rise to pre-eminence has been a double-edged sword for him. At one level, his recent statements have hardened opposition to him as they have made it clear that there is no going back for him on the brand of divisive politics that he has been associated with. At another level, his statements and claims have come under greater scrutiny. Many, for example, were stunned when he declared approvingly that China "spent 20 per cent of its GDP on education". Naturally he was misinformed - but is it possible he did not realise the import of what he was claiming, and exactly how far it was from any imaginable reality? It does somewhat puncture the legend that has been assiduously built up around him, of a man impressively in command of every detail of administration. The question, thus, that both his friends and detractors are asking is: has he peaked too early? In presidential politics of the sort Mr Modi wishes to practise in the run-up to the general elections, it is never easy to predict exactly when a contender moves from being the exciting new thing to old news.
Equally, for the battered Congress, things could be looking up. For one, recent poverty numbers have led to loud claims that its social sector emphasis has been working for India's poor, and a Congress-ruled state like Rajasthan has reduced poverty to a level lower than even that of Narendra Modi's Gujarat. Meanwhile, most observers continue to be gloomy about the formal economy. But others have noted that a sharp increase in export orders was recorded by the manufacturing sector; and the fact that the monsoon so far has performed well above average, which will positively impact food prices and rural demand. For the Congress-led government, therefore, the sudden arrival of a few pieces of good news and the overexposure of Mr Modi mean that there is a window of opportunity to try and recover some political ground, and recapture the political narrative. The party's political leadership, too, seems to have given an impression of late that there is some co-ordinated thinking on how to take on the electoral challenge that faces it in the next few months.
Of course, given the hole that the economy is in, it is a small window indeed. The government needs to seize it as best it can. The most positive outcome for it, indeed, could be that it abandons its tired, defeatist unwillingness to think big when it comes to reform. Opening up pension and insurance to long-term foreign capital, for example, could pay dividends both for India's infrastructure and foreign perception of India - and completely change the economic mood domestically. The same old statements - hoping for recovery, claiming clearances are proceeding - won't do the trick.