Despite losing as many as 11 states since it assumed power at the Centre four years ago and elections due in 11 months, the Congress is still groping for a winning electoral formula.
With less than a year left for general elections, Congress gropes for a winning formula
NEW DELHI: Despite losing as many as 11 states since it assumed power at the Centre four years ago and elections to the 15th Lok Sabha due in 11 months, the Congress is still groping for a winning electoral formula. Party mandarins appear confused. After every loss, the party has held “brainstorming” sessions and “chintan bhaitaks”, but to no avail.
The Congress is not yet sure what caused the Karnataka debacle. AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Prithviraj Chauhan, who, on Sunday, attributed the loss to “inflation and terror”, reneged on Monday and said “delimitation” of constituencies cost the Congress dear, while party spokesman Manish Tiwary discounted suggestions the Congress lost because it did not project a chief ministerial candidate.
Senior leaders, including Chauhan, briefed party president Sonia Gandhi on Karnataka but declined to divulge details.
Sources said the Congress was wary of over-emphasising “terror and inflation” as the issues may be used against the party by the BJP in the upcoming general elections. A senior party leader said the Congress lost almost all seats in Hubli district because of Jaipur blasts.
However, Tiwary said, “There is no relationship between state and national elections. It is a Karnataka-specific verdict.”
“The Congress has won many states, including Maharashtra, Haryana and Goa, without projecting a chief ministerial candidate, so the assessment that we lost because we did not name a CM candidate in Karnataka is not correct,” he said.
Tiwary also rejected the charge that the high command did not take the state leadership into confidence. “We have an election committee. The state leadership is completely involved in decision-making. We cannot fight a state poll without the active involvement of local leaders.”
Asked why party general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in tribal and dalit regions did not fetch seats, Tiwary said, “After delimitation, the SC seats in Karnataka have gone up to 36. Of these, the BJP won 22, Congress 10, independents 3 and the JDS 1. Similarly, of the 15 ST seats, the Congress won 7, BJP 7 and the JDS 1.”
He said the Congress lost as many as 21 seats by slender margins. The party lost two seats by less than 100 votes, six by less than 1,000, six by less than 2,000 and seven by less than 3,000 votes, Tiwary claimed.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net
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