NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, whose leadership was put to the test in the run-up to the polls in five states, came out trumps on Monday, with the party posting big wins in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. However, challenges remain ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

The three wins came as a perfect gift for Rahul, who took over as the Congress chief on this day a year ago. As the party debated the timing of his ascension post the 2014 poll debacle, Rahul was often branded a reluctant politician and an immature leader by political rivals and liberal observers alike.

A well-known writer had, in fact, suggested Rahul should retire and that his taking over the party’s reins would mean a celebration for the BJP. The trolls, too, never tired of throwing the Hindi slang “Pappu” at the leader, who had no electoral victories behind him to help his rise in the grand old party.

However, the Congress chief has managed to change perceptions about him since the Karnataka polls in May and was noted for his positive and pro-development campaign in the five assembly polls.

“Pappu has passed the exam but he needs to score a distinction now. The fact that Modi only responds to Rahul’s attacks shows that Gandhi is being recognized as a leader.

He has revived the Congress and put Modi on a weaker wicket in the Hindi heartland, which provided the bulk of the BJP’s support base in 2014,” political observer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay said.