LESSONS NOT LEARNT

THE GRAND OLD PARTY’S SELF-DEFEATING MOVES LEAD TO ANOTHER LOSS IN HARYANA. IF IT DOES NOT RIGHT ITS SHIP IN TIME, ITS PROSPECTS COULD SINK IN MAHARASHTRA AND JHARKHAND TOO

-  KAUSHIK DEKA

THE CONGRESS PARTY'S STUNNING DEFEAT in Haryana, a state it was widely expected to win, and its below-par performance in Jammu and Kashmir, signify more than just a temporary stumble. These setbacks have again exposed the deeper structural flaws that plague the party. In Haryana, the Congress secured 37 seats in the 90-member assembly, losing an election supporters and even opponents presumed would be a straightforward win. In J&K, the party won only six of the 32 seats it contested and will be part of the government only because of the strong showing by its ally, the National Conference.

These results puncture the narrative that the Congress is on a revival path after its much improved Lok Sabha election tally in May. They also underscore how sporadic victories, such as in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana, combined with an over-reliance on singular leaders and a fragmented internal structure, have bred a certain hubris. The illusion of momentum has distracted Congress from its underlying issues. As an All India Congress Committee (AICC) official wryly stated: “Success often breeds complacency in the Congress, causing it to lose sight of the shifting political landscape.”

RIDING ON ALLIANCES

Maharashtra and Jharkhand are headed for polls next month, so the party has no time to lose. After winning 13 of the 17 LS seats it contested in Maharashtra, the party had of late transitioned from being the “third ally” in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition to a more assertive role. It was even angling to contest the largest share of seats in the election, but the Haryana debacle will affect its position now. It’s already happening. A day after the results, an editorial in Saamna, the mouthpiece of MVA ally Shiv Sena (UBT), was scathing in its comments, calling out the Congress for its inability to control its “disobedient leaders” and turning “a winning innings into a defeat”.