Haughty Congress squanders initiative to BJP ahead of 2024
If the Congress picked up momentum months before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by trouncing the BJP in the big Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, it got ejected from them this time around, dampening the party’s say in the opposition INDIA bloc. In hindsight, had the Grand Old Party shed arrogance and given a few seats to allies like the Samajwadi Party, it would have been a force multiplier and possibly altered the dynamic in states like Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath was so overconfident that he did not think extensive campaigning by Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi was necessary. He is now licking his wounds.
Chhattisgarh was more of a surprise as the Congress was more than confident of retaining it. Loads of welfare schemes, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s soft Hindutva and the lack of credible leadership in the state BJP had, in his mind, made the election an open-and-shut case. Yet, anti-incumbency is a beast the Congress has not learnt to manage. Fresh corruption allegations by central law enforcement agencies against Baghel close to the polling date—on the Mahadev app scam—added to his discomfort. BJP’s Raman Singh, pulled out of political wilderness at the last moment to lead the charge in Raipur, emerged victorious. In Rajasthan, no amount of papering over could hide the ugly factional feud between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot. Sops such as free power, subsidised LPG refills and health insurance were not enticing enough for a repeat mandate. Goes to show the politics of giveaways alone cannot win elections—even in Telangana. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra spent ample time in all three states but to no avail.
People instead reposed trust in Narendra Modi, who sought votes in his own name despite these being state elections. Matching the Congress guarantee for guarantee helped, as it knocked out the GOP’s USP. Modi now holds the initiative in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Telangana acquisition of the Congress was a phenomenal feat, but was overshadowed by the drubbing in the other three states. Telangana was gift-wrapped by pollster Sunil Kanugolu, who had worked in Karnataka earlier. What the Congress probably needs is humility and professional poll managers at the national level to function without interference to get its mojo back and stay afloat in the general elections.