Gujarat: As economy falters, Rahul Gandhi seeks revival in Modi's backyard

Congress insiders acknowledge the party is unlikely to win the December election in Gujarat, but cutting into the BJP majority in the state would send a powerful signal

Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India’s most fabled political dynasty, will within weeks be crowned leader of the Congress party, handing him a freer rein to prove if he can mount a credible challenge to the dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The great-grandson of India’s founding prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, has struggled to convince voters - and many in his party - that he is leadership material, especially after a drubbing in the 2014 general election.

Modi’s depiction of the 47-year-old as an undeserving “prince” has helped sideline Gandhi since the last national vote, during which time Congress has