Congress is no more the main Opposition party

From the principal Opposition party, the Congress has slipped to fourth in the Assembly elections of Maharashtra, where the party was founded 134 years ago. Although

From the principal Opposition party, the Congress has slipped to fourth in the Assembly elections of Maharashtra, where the party was founded 134 years ago. Although the grand old party improved its tally to 44 from 42 last time, there is a feeling that better coordination and leadership could have helped it perform better.

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The Congress has ceded the position of main Opposition party to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Congress won 44 of the 146 seats it contested, with its strike rate poorer than its ally NCP, which won 54 of 117.

This is the second time in the past 20 years after the formation of the NCP that the Congress won fewer seats than the NCP. In 2004, the tally of Congress and the NCP was 69 and 71, although the former continued with its elder-brother position and the chief minister was from the party. There is a wider feeling among party leaders that the leadership failed to perform adequately.

“We failed to take any cue from NCP chief Sharad Pawar and sense the unrest against the government, even when it was evident a few weeks ahead of the election. The infighting within the leadership in Vidarbha and Mumbai damaged the party’s prospects. We had nobody to lead us from the front, which would have ensured better coordination. When the entire Union cabinet, including prime minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, had camped in Maharashtra, our central leadership did not involve themselves in a full-fledged manner in campaigning,” said a senior leader, on the condition of anonymity.

Party leaders also complained of “lack of resources” during campaigning.

“When the ruling parties had all resources at their disposal, we were battling to spend on basic requirements. In some constituencies, better strategy and coordination with smaller parties for a ‘tacit understanding’ would have helped us win more seats,” said another party leader. The party leaders also feel that Pawar’s campaigning and the response received by him from voters has helped the Congress in areas where NCP had no candidates. “We have done better than expected, although it could have been better. We were lagging in terms of resources and our key leaders were stuck in their respective constituencies and districts. Some of our candidates in Marathwada have lost by a narrow margin,” said former state unit chief of Congress, Manikrao Thakre.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader, Ashok Chavan, said, “Our Jan Sangharsha Yatra held across the state last year laid the foundation for the polls and it has helped us perform better. We will continue to fight for the farmers, jobless and the voiceless.”

In the Lok Sabha election results announced in May, the party could win only one of the 48 seats in the state.