Congress on backfoot after defeat in Maharashtra, every move of Rahul fails, will claim in I.N.D.I.A. be weakened?

arun Posted On November 24, 2024

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Maharashtra Results Analysis: The defeat of Congress alliance in Maharashtra has given a big blow to the party. After Haryana, the defeat in Maharashtra has made it difficult for Congress to challenge BJP. The victory in Jharkhand is a relief news for the Congress alliance, but the defeat in Maharashtra has diminished it.

Curated by Ruchir Shukla

Maharashtra results gave a big blow to Congress
Position will be weakened in claim in India Block
Where is Congress missing, first Haryana and now Maharashtra

New Delhi: The defeat of Congress alliance in Maharashtra has raised questions on the future and unity of INDIA alliance. This defeat is also disturbing for Congress because after Haryana, this is its second consecutive big defeat against BJP. After this defeat, Congress’s efforts to become the pivot in anti-BJP national politics have also suffered a setback. However, the second consecutive victory of the JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand has given some relief to the opposition.

Congress stunned by Maharashtra defeat

Despite this, the victory in Jharkhand is being seen as just a small achievement in front of the magnitude of the defeat in Maharashtra. The atmosphere prevailing in the Congress headquarters after these election results reflects this disappointment. This is the reason why despite Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s landslide victory in Wayanad, the same kind of enthusiasm was not seen among the workers. The victory of the JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand also shows how these days the Congress is able to sail its boat with the help of the strength of regional parties.

Why is the main opposition party not waking up

The question is that why despite continuous defeats, the Congress does not seem to be coming into action mode? The Congress high command seems to be in a fixed structure, where nominated officials dominate. The party may get some relief due to the Gandhi family, but in competitive electoral politics, the defeat in Maharashtra has once again raised questions on the effectiveness of the ‘Gandhi-Vadra charisma’.

Where is Congress going wrong

In the Lok Sabha elections held this year, Congress performed its best in the last decade by winning 99 seats. However, questions have been raised about this too because this was the third worst performance of Congress in Lok Sabha elections. In this, Congress won most of the seats which were fought against anti-BJP parties. Talking about Wayanad seat, after Rahul Gandhi, now Priyanka Gandhi won here in the by-election. However, Congress leaders also see Priyanka’s choice of the safe seat of Wayanad as a shortcoming.

Rahul Gandhi’s strategy failed?

The way Rahul Gandhi campaigned in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand, it seemed like a ‘stuck record-player’ to the local Congress leaders as well. This is because it was still stuck on issues like ‘Save the Constitution’ and ‘Caste Census’. However, in both these states, the elections were fought mainly on local issues, social equations and strategic changes after the Lok Sabha elections.

How did BJP do wonders in Maharashtra

BJP and RSS coordinated their election campaign. Tried to stop caste division through slogans like ‘Bantenge to Katenge’. Capitalized on the anger of the OBC community against the Maratha reservation movement and promoted welfare schemes like ‘Ladki Behen’. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi, like the Rafale campaign before, stuck to issues like ‘Constitution’ and ‘Caste Census’.

This is how Hemant Soren made his way to victory

In contrast, the Hemant Soren-led campaign in Jharkhand focused on welfare schemes for women, strengthening tribal unity and garnering sympathy against the BJP’s ‘infiltrators’ issue. Rahul Gandhi campaigned for only five days in Maharashtra and four days in Jharkhand, but took out three days for Wayanad. Maharashtra’s ‘united Congress’ now looks as scattered as Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar).

Every bet of Congress failed in Maharashtra

At present, Congress spokespersons are defending Rahul Gandhi’s way of campaigning even in very difficult circumstances. While celebrating victory in Jharkhand and Wayanad, he questioned the credibility of the results in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra elections also foiled the strategy of Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray to make ‘Adani’ an election issue. First, they gave the slogan ‘Adani and Modi are safe if they are one’ and then promised to remove the Adani project from the Dharavi redevelopment plan. With this, they tried to increase the distance between Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Congress will be weakened in India Block!

The Congress-led opposition is preparing to raise the allegations leveled against Adani in the US in the upcoming Parliament session. But whether the defeat in Maharashtra will reduce their energy and unity to maintain this campaign remains to be seen. Congress’ performance in the assembly by-elections has also been much worse than the BJP. Apart from winning all three seats in Karnataka and retaining one seat in Madhya Pradesh, Congress’ performance in Rajasthan, Assam, Punjab and Gujarat has been disappointing. In this way, another election year of Congress is ending without any significant achievement.