Introduction
Last week, we saw another debacle from the Congress Party in the 3 state election results. It was the last leg of the state elections before we jumped into the big General elections in 2024. These election results were unique in terms of the unexpected results it threw as compared to the exit polls results.
Let us do some analysis on what went wrong for Congress or went right for BJP who won in 3 states including two big states Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Let us check all the reasons why Congress lost in the 3 states out of 4 state elections.
Congress’s hand in glove with Parties Giving Anti-Sanatan Remarks
DMK party from the INDIA coalition team has been brutally passing on remarks on Sanatan Dharma. These remarks were supported by a few other parties also but at the same time Congress who is considered the backbone of the INDIA coalition never condemned these remarks. These backfired in a big way as the Congress party in a way supported this by giving air to caste-based census.
In all three northern states, this was considered a polarizing factor clubbed with other incidents like the Kanhaiya Lal murder by radical Muslim men. The Congress party felt they could continue with their divisive politics appeasing a certain group of people since they had already won with a thumping majority in the Karnataka election.
Lack of Trust
The Congress party announced a slurry of guarantees in Karnataka elections which led to a thumping majority win. They had promised a list of schemes for the people of Karnataka, some were fulfilled some are still pending. But what was interesting to note was how their leadership responded to developmental projects later on. Some of the leaders even said they would require funds to fulfill the pre-poll promises so there is no fund left for the developmental projects in the state.
They would require money for the subsidies they have promised for different people. Now, in today’s world, where print and electronic media are so active you definitely cannot say this. The citizens in other states are not fools to trust you again when you promised them subsidies on the one hand and lack of infrastructure in the state on the other hand. Whereas, the people of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh considered Modi’s welfare scheme or guarantees trustworthy. They trusted Modi’s promises considering the central government’s response to the state BJP-led governments.
Modi Magic
The opposition parties might try to create an image of a dictator, liar, killer, or whatever. But the truth on the ground is very different. People like Modi, his working style, and his commitment to fulfilling the promises made to the people. Just like the CEO of a successful company, he manages and monitors the implementation of the welfare schemes on the ground.
It was said during the Congress regime that if they sent one rupee as a welfare scheme to the people, only 15 paise would reach the needy. This was because of rampant corruption and lack of monitoring. The Modi government announces the welfare projects and keeps on monitoring them until it is out on the ground.
It goes the same for the other MPs in the BJP government, Modi ensures that they perform on the ground or perish. This was quite clear in all the 3 state elections as many central government senior leaders were fighting elections in the state and won. The opposition parties might live in denial mode but on the ground reality is different.
Caste Politics and Overconfidence
The Congress party over-relied on caste politics which their political advisor suggested to them. They won with a thumping majority in Karnataka which led to their overconfidence that they had cracked the code against the election-winning machine called BJP.
The win in Karnataka was majorly due to the local issue that they had raised, it was the BJP’s internal failure to lose in Karnataka. The Congress party leaders failed to create that magic in Rajasthan, MP, or Chhattisgarh as either they didn’t know the ground reality or state leaders passed on the wrong information to their supreme command.
BJP’s Aggressive Campaign
PM Modi did almost 31 rallies covering all the Vidhan Sabha seats in the 3 states won by BJP. At the age of 73, Modi along with other senior leaders ran a very aggressive campaign. They highlighted the rampant corruption in the states, communal appeasement by the Congress leaders, Law and order situation, and lack of security for Women. These issues were taken very seriously by the citizens in the 3 states which led to a setback for the old party.
Internal Feud
One important thing that the Congress party never capitalized on or was able to resolve was its internal feud within the party. Be it Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, or Chhattisgarh the infighting was quite visible in public. In Rajasthan, Gehlot’s overpowering and Sachin Pilot’s rebellious nature led to the debacle of the government. Gehlot wanted to control everything without giving Pilot his credit.
In Chhattisgarh, the power tussle between Baghel and TS Singh Deo, or in Madhya Pradesh the internal feud between Kamalnath and Digvijay Singh was visible everywhere. Even though only a few talked against each other in public, as I mentioned with the active media in today’s world, nothing is hidden.
This gave the wrong message in the state and Congress could not manage its gains in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh due to its existing government or 18 years anti- incumbency of BJP in Madhya Pradesh.
Conclusion
The age-old party needs to do a lot of introspection to understand the real reason behind their loss. Even though they won in Telangana, they have made it easier for the BJP to win Telangana next time as there will be the same issues that other Congress-ruled states are having.
It has to shed its zamindar kind of attitude, collaborate with the regional parties, and fight the juggernaut of BJP. Even though Modi looks invincible now, things can change in the coming months if the Congress party works well in a collaborative nature.