But a series of election defeats in the last decade have diminished the power of the first family to demand eternal devotion. As long as the Gandhi family was seen to deliver votes, it earned the respect of the party faithful.

The near unprecedented rebellion in the Congress ranks in Rajasthan mirrors this reality.

In sharp contrast, the ubiquitous high command of the Congress is neither high in stature nor in command at the moment. The overarching personality cult around the prime minister (PM) ensures total obedience: No questions are asked, no answers given. In the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah era, the BJP is a party with little time for democratic niceties.

When Vijay Rupani was removed overnight as Gujarat CM and replaced by the relatively unknown Bhupendra Patel last year, there was no outcry over why Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) were not consulted before the decision. When, for example, in August, senior Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh chief minister (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan were dropped from the BJP parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body, no explanations were given.

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