Congress blames Delhi loss on 2G and Anna, then retracts

With back to back losses in Mumbai and Delhi municipal polls, there is an air of concern in the Congress. While it may generate a feeling that the urban vote bank could be moving away from the Congress due to too many scams and controversies surrounding the party in the centre, the party at the same time remained unfazed.

Its leaders claimed that the pattern of victories that followed the defeat in civic polls in 2007 followed by party’s victory in Delhi state assembly and Lok Sabha polls in 2008 and 2009, will be repeated in 2013 (assembly) and 2014 general elections. Ditto for Mumbai.

While attributing the party's poor show in Delhi to the disconnect with the people, Congress MP from East Delhi Sandeep Dikshit blamed the environment created by Anna Hazare's movements, CAG reports against the party and price rise which gave a feeling that the Congress was in the centre of all the wrong that was happening. “We could not separate the slightly anti-Congress environment that was built up due to 2G scam. And BJP because of the overall general climate that was there in the country and in Delhi, focused on price rise and 2G spectrum scam,” Dikshit told reporters on Tuesday after the party’s poor performance in Delhi.

But on Wednesday there was quick denial from the party leaders rejecting connection between the defeat this time with the urban mood created by Anna movement. “Even when there was no Hazare or 2G in the scene, the Congress lost in civic polls last time. It is wrong to connect it that way,” said a senior party leader.