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Losing turf, 2021 upset: What is behind Congress's 'solo' gamble in West Bengal
The Congress, which was the main challenger to the Left government and later, to the TMC, is now out of the top race, paving the way for a TMC vs BJP fight
Losing turf, mega-flop in 2021 and long-term strategy — is what has pushed the Congress to go solo in West Bengal after two decades of shifting alliances with the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties.
The decision comes even as the Congress, which went into an alliance with the TMC in 2011 and the Left Parties in the last two elections, has underperformed in the past elections.
The Congress, which was the main challenger to the Left government and later, to the TMC, for a majority in the last four decades, is now out of the top race, paving the way for a TMC vs BJP fight in the past two elections.
A stark example of the party's abysmal performance was the 2021 elections, where the party could not even win a single seat in the 294-member assembly, as did its ally Left parties in another record in the state politics.
Reasons to go solo: Minor allies, little results
A key reason behind going solo stems from the party's loosening voter base in the past elections: getting zero seats in 2021, down from 44 in 2016. The party was the key challenger to Mamata's government that year, a position now taken over by the BJP.
The party's vote share in the 2021 polls also plummeted to the lowest ever at 3 per cent.
An alliance with the Left parties in 2016 and 2021 has failed to deliver results, partly because of the growing unpopularity of the Left. The Congress also lost hold over Malda and Murshidabad districts, considered to have traditional support for the party.
Meanwhile, the BJP has constantly risen in ranks over the past elections, winning 3 seats in 2016 and 77 in 2021, emerging as the main challenger since 2021.
Also read: BJP releases third list of 19 candidates for Bengal, RG Kar victim's mother among contestants
Party's bid to regain grounds
After the Left parties and Congress combined failed to win even a single seat, the party has decided to go solo in a bid to revive, if not regain its lost grounds.
In February, even before the Congress officially announced its plan to go solo in the state, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Subhankar Sarkar announced that he wanted the party to go solo in the upcoming elections. The view has also been echoed among a majority of the party leaders.
"Our past experiences on alliance or seat-sharing arrangements in West Bengal weakened the grassroots-level party workers in the state to a great extent. After discussions with everyone, including the state Congress leaders, it has been decided that the Congress will contest from all 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal independently. Poll preparations will start keeping this in mind," party in charge for West Bengal, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, has said.
The only exception to the consensus view was former state chief, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was keen on an alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front.
Also read: Mamata to lead TMC campaign, rely on aides for electioneering in her constituency
What to expect in Bengal?
The upcoming election will be a high-stakes contest for the TMC, looking to repeat its 2021 success despite several odds against the party, and the BJP aiming to continue the momentum it built in the last election.
For the Congress, the immediate goal would be to get a third spot with seats in at least a single digit, if not double digits.
The party would also look to increase its vote share, which is at an alarmingly low level, from 12.4 per cent in 2016 to 5.7 per cent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 3 per cent in 2021 state polls, and 4.7 per cent in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
