In the aftermath of the Assembly poll results in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, the Congress party is facing internal scrutiny and criticism from within the INDIA opposition bloc. As constituents gear up for a crucial meeting scheduled for December 6, some leaders express dissatisfaction, attributing the electoral setbacks to the grand old party’s perceived neglect of its coalition partners.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Janata Dal-United’s K C Tyagi maintain that the Congress’s defeats in the three states will not impact the INDIA alliance. However, dissenting voices within the bloc argue that Congress distanced itself from its coalition partners, leading to electoral losses.
Speaking on the matter, Sharad Pawar remarked, “I do not think it will have any impact on the INDIA bloc. We will be meeting at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in Delhi on December 6. We will speak to those who are aware of the ground reality. We will be able to comment on it only after the meeting.”
K C Tyagi took a critical stance, stating, “The poll results show the defeat of the Congress and the victory of the BJP. The Congress ignored other INDIA parties but was unable to win on its own.”
“It is very necessary now for everyone to strengthen the INDIA bloc. If the alliance meeting was called a couple of months earlier, it would have been good,” Tyagi added.
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed doubt over the future of the INDIA alliance. Abdullah said, “Judging from the results of the INDIA alliance in the state elections if the situation is like this in the future, we cannot win”.
Strucking a displeasing tone, Abdullah added, “BJP should be congratulated because we were not expecting this result. We were hearing from our allies that in Chhattisgarh, the Congress would come to power easily, they would win in Madhya Pradesh as well, they were confident in Telangana and they were even saying that in the end, they would come out victorious in Rajasthan as well. When the results came out, only their claim in Telangana stood true. Neither could they save Chhattisgarh, nor win back Madhya Pradesh nor could they win in Rajasthan again”.
Abdullah questioned why the Congress party was restrained in giving a ticket to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in Madhya Pradesh. Abdullah said, “Either the Congress has not been able to understand the ground situation in Madhya Pradesh. What harm could have happened if they had given 5-7 seats to Akhilesh Yadav? What storm could have blown? What have they won now? The results are in front of everyone now”.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan emphasized the need for a united front against the BJP, criticizing the Congress for underestimating the challenge.
Trinamool Congress claimed that the BJP’s bright show in assembly polls in three states is more of a “failure” of the Congress than a success story of the saffron party.
“In the three states, it is more of a failure of the Congress than a success story of the BJP,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Ghosh claimed that the results of elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, a crucial electoral exercise ahead of Lok Sabha polls just months away, will not have any impact on the general elections.
“TMC is the party which can provide leadership in the battle to defeat the BJP in the country,” he added.
A senior leader from a major opposition party told news agency PTI that the Congress might have been waiting for the poll results to strengthen its bargaining position within the INDIA bloc. However, the leader argued that the results had backfired, diminishing the Congress’s influence.
As the Congress finds itself in power in only three states independently, some observe that the party may have miscalculated its strategy. The only meeting of the Coordination Committee of the INDIA ALLIANCE held on September 13 had aimed at joint meetings, but the idea was shelved after objections from Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh.
With the Congress facing setbacks, an AAP leader pointed out that the Aam Aadmi Party now emerges as the largest opposition party in north India, holding governments in Punjab and Delhi.
Criticism also extends to the handling of alliances, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) allegedly feeling neglected in Madhya Pradesh. The SP’s failure to secure seats led to public remarks by Kamal Nath, which some attribute as a contributing factor to the Congress’s electoral performance in the state.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut suggested that the outcome in Madhya Pradesh could have been different if the Congress had shared seats with other INDIA bloc constituents. While he called for a reevaluation of the Congress’s approach toward allies, Raut emphasized that the election results would not fracture the unity among INDIA bloc members.
(With inputs from AGENCIES)
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