Picture : ANI / X
The principal opposition party the Congress it seems readers have not learnt any lessons off late from election losses . It is hell bent of repeating the same mistake with remarkable consistency . The blunder in Madhya Pradesh was followed soon in states like Rajasthan Haryana, Maharashtra been the latest one in their kitty.
In the three states – Haryana, before that Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh the party paid a heavy price of relying on the feedback of ageing regional satraps. The young were forced to take the back- seat. The Central leadership under party president Mallikarjun Kharge with all his seniority has not been able to handle this young vs old battle in the party . It has pushed the party hence on the brink of existential crisis.
Take the case for example in Rajasthan the clash between then CM Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot made headlines and the governance took back- seat. The lack of unity hurt the party big . Sachin Pilot’s career seems to be heading nowhere . He did not contest the Lok Sabha polls, is now a MLA from Dausa and is the party in-charge of Chhattisgarh . There again a state where Congress under Bhupesh Baghel was expected to win but lost . The case of so near yet so far for the Congress.
With party General Secretary K C Venugopal under fire for election debacles , time is right for Sachin Pilot to be elevated. He is young, popular and has the youth connect. Party needs fresh ideas and Pilot could be the answer . It is indeed baffling to see likes of Sachin Pilot been side-lined. This wait your time will come is a bogus narrative.
Before that in MP too , the Congress high command bowed down to the wishes of seniors Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh who made young Jyotiraditya Scindia feel so unwanted that he brought down Kamal Nath led Congress government and with his loyal MLA’s joined the BJP. Another blunder from the GOP.
Haryana was expected to go the Congress way as pundits predicted . But the results with the stunning twist on the counting day shocked many . Here again the Congress missed the trick . They should have gone ahead with Selja Kumari as a CM candidate. But the high command yet again went by the words of 77 year- old former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda who had a major say in ticket distribution. A move which created dissent in the party and leaving senior like Randeep Singh Surjewala fuming . The lack of unity between Hooda, Selja and Surjewala factions saw the party lose from jaws of victory.
One hoped with the Lok Sabha results , Congress would fare well in Maharashtra. But the Lok Sabha fizz went out quickly and instead put the GOP in a spot. It became the punching as it was seen as the weakest link in the INDIA Alliance . And off- late it has become a party that is banking on the shoulders of its allies for electoral success. Congress barring Telangana, And Karnataka hardly won direct battles with the BJP. In J&K , It was the National Conference and the spirited campaign by Omar Abdullah that powered home the alliance to victory. In Jharkhand, It was the JMM Under Hemant Soren which fared better than the Congress . In Tamil Nadu, It is the DMK which is the big ally . Congress playing second fiddle . A heavy price it is paying in it’s plan to oust the Modi government at the Centre.
In Early 2025 two states go to the polls. Delhi, Bihar . In Delhi, Congress party is in tatters having drawn blank in last three assembly polls .The party cadres are low in morale and with no prominent leader as face , it faces an uphill task in the capital . In Bihar, Congress fortunes will rest on ally RJD under Tejashwi Yadav.
However, unfazed by the losses and the decline, the party instead of serious introspection is now buoyant with the debut of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad. The Gandhi’s have been empowered and all three of them are in parliament -Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi ( Leader Of Opposition Lok Sabha) and now Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. This development has given ammunition to the BJP which has often in it’s jibe said the Congress always puts family first before party and country.
Congress needs to realise that it needs to work 24X7 to take on a battle hungry party like the BJP. And for that it needs young leaders like Sachin Pilot , Gaurav Gogoi, at the forefront and make full use of articulate senior leaders like charismatic Shashi Tharoor ( the former UN Diplomat and India’s number one best selling author is hugely popular and has youth connect) , Manish Tewari that would go long away to give the party fresh perspective and change the perception among the people to vote for Congress. Remember how BJP used the suave, articulate late Arun Jaitley to change the party’s perception among the middle and the elite class despite the presence of stalwarts Late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani.
Blaming EVM’s will not work until the leadership wakes up to the ground reality. Election comes in every five years. Each loss is opportunity gone. Congress needs take a leaf out of the regional parties like the Samajwadi party, TMC, DMK, National Conference, JMM who have punched above their weight and have shown that BJP is certainly not invincible and can be beaten.
And to keep the INDIA Alliance together , Congress needs to do away with its big brother attitude while doing seat sharing. In many states it contested more seats and yet failed to make an impact. In 75 seats in Maharashtra where there was direct BJP vs Congress face off . BJP won 65. In J&K Congress contested 33 won 6. While Omar Abdullah led National Conference bagged an impressive 42 out off 52 seats.
Finally , It is double edged sword scenario for the Congress so far as its ties with the allies is concerned. If they contest more seats then lose then party is blamed for arrogance . But if it gives in to allies pressure then criticism rises and pundits point to the decline of the party and obits are written instantly . The year 2024 has ended in disappointment for the GOP and will the new year 2025 bring any cheer or more defeats pushes the party into oblivion ?. That only time will tell and we will have to wait . Watch this space. !
