(Image source from: Is Rahul Gandhi to be blamed for senior Congress-men bailing out of polls?})

Seems summer 2014 won't be a memorable one for the Congress party, or at least a summer they would want to forget. With many of its Lok Sabha MPs seeking a safe seat or bailing out of the upcoming elections, the party is left with little choice but to pitch legislators from the Rajya Sabha to fight the polls. And while others can clearly foresee that Congress is a sinking ship, the party is hopeful and believes that the latest trend of switching parties is very much in line with the election fever.

Talking to a television news channel, Congress spokesperson CR Kesavan affirmed that the Congress isn't a sinking ship. It's common during elections to see ambitious and disgruntled party members switch sides to gratify their political ambitions. It's nothing by “sheer expediency and opportunism.”

BJP, however, believes that Congress is now a murky shadow of what it was a decade back. With major alliance partners like Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Trinamool Congress and DMK deserting the Congress and many defectors flocking to BJP for tickets and support, the chances aren't just bleak for the party, but looks utterly dismal even now.

Senior leaders of the party like Jayanthi Natarajan, GK Vasan and P Chidambaram have pulled out of the election race. Former Punjab chief minister Amrinder Singh and Ambika Soni have been coaxed to contest. Congress had to resort to Rajya Sabha members like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mani Shankar Aiyar to contest for LS Polls.

So who is to be blamed for the Congress bigwigs jumping ship? Blame it on the generation gap or divide that has split Congress into two. Senior leaders like Jagadambika Pal and Satpal Maharaj are feeling abandoned. Also, the coterie forming around Rahul Gandhi could be another reason for senior leaders' disgruntlement.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury