Despite celebrations, Congress suffered defeats in key Hindi belt states. Rahul’s team insists attacking Modi ensures support, neglecting grassroots organization.
New Delhi: The unexpected defeat in Haryana has left the Congress party in shock. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, has expressed frustration, particularly during a meeting with party leaders. His anger persists, evidenced by a visit to the Congress headquarters, where he spent time in Treasurer Ajay Maken’s office but left without interacting with anyone. No officials were present during his visit, further indicating the party’s current disarray.
Many now believe this defeat has made Rahul realize that the core problem lies with the team he has relied upon. Among his closest associates, Organization General Secretary KC Venugopal wields significant power, even more than Mallikarjun Kharge, the party president. Other influential figures include Ajay Maken and Jairam Ramesh, who manage Congress’s media and social media outreach. Trusted advisor Sam Pitroda remains involved from abroad but is disconnected from organisational operations. These leaders had earlier encouraged Rahul to celebrate winning 99 Lok Sabha seats, masking the party’s deeper vulnerabilities.
Despite these celebrations, Congress suffered major defeats in the Hindi belt, winning no seats in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, or Delhi. Rahul was assured that the party could still topple the BJP-led NDA government despite these setbacks. His team has yet to convince him of the need to strengthen Congress’s grassroots organization. Instead, they continue to suggest that criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi will automatically generate voter support, which has alienated many senior leaders from the party. The strategists within Congress failed to recognise the shifting political landscape, facing an opponent like the BJP with strong leadership, a robust organisation, and grassroots networks such as the Sangh. Meanwhile, Congress’s reliance on opportunistic politics resulted in a crushing defeat in 2019. Rahul Gandhi appeared weak in this context, though leadership has remained firmly within the Gandhi family, per party tradition. As the 2024 general elections approach, some allies influenced Rahul to adopt caste-based politics similar to those in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, aiming to split the Hindu vote along forward and backward caste lines. Congress overlooked the risk of becoming irrelevant without support from forward castes. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, caste politics failed to yield electoral benefits.
Mallikarjun Kharge serves as party president, but there is widespread belief that even he feels powerless against the influence of Venugopal, Maken, and Ramesh. Pitroda’s influence has been blamed for Rahul’s foreign trips during critical election seasons and controversial statements. Instead of strengthening the organization, these leaders weakened Congress through a fragmented I.N.D.I.Alliance is driven by their quest for power.
Sonia Gandhi, during her tenure, made similar missteps by prioritising coalition politics over party independence, and the party still feels the consequences today. Rahul, too, was guided by this approach, focusing more on attacking Modi than building organisational strength. Despite a slight improvement in seat count in the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress mistakenly viewed it as a major victory.
In the run-up to the Haryana election, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda and his son Deepender became overconfident, assuming an assured victory. Rahul’s close circle further inflated this belief, overlooking internal rivalries within the state party leadership. As a result, non-Jat communities united against Congress, and the BJP capitalised on the party’s overconfidence by winning broad support, even from groups Congress assumed were aligned with them.
The party’s strategy of awarding a ticket to Vinesh Phogat amid the wrestlers’ agitation suggested political motives. Rahul Gandhi is now displeased with his team’s conduct, and many within the party are closely watching to see if his anger will translate into action or if he will wait for another major defeat before initiating changes.