CONGRESS GEARS UP FOR NEXT YEAR'S DELHI ELECTIONS

The party has started with the preparations for the Delhi Assembly elections, which it will contest solo after parting with the AAP.

- RAHUL GAHLAWAT

After their third consecutive defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has started with the preparations for the Assembly elections in Delhi, scheduled for next year. The grand old party, which enjoyed power for a decade in Union territory, was defeated by the Aam Aadmi Party.

Back in 2013, they supported the AAP government, which fell short of the majority mark in the 70-member Assembly, but the government was shortlived and went on to contest fresh elections. In those elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 31 seats, but AAP, with support from Congress's eight representatives, formed the government, and Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as Chief Minister. He resigned on February 14, 2014, after failing to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill due to opposition from both, the Congress and the BJP.

Kejriwal claimed that both parties were obstructed the bill to protect their vested interests. In the subsequent elections in 2015 and 2020, the party drew a blank.