Congress loses Punjab. With every election, is India heading towards a Congress-Mukt Opposition?
Highlights:
- How does every stakeholder in Punjab deal in this election?
- Will congress really hang on?
- Why could AAP be an alternative to congress?
- What is the future of Congress?
Congress-Mukt opposition: As soon as the election verdict came out, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rejoiced their win in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a historic victory in Punjab.
Amid the ongoing elections, the Congress Party seemed to have faded from the minds of voters. Therefore, questions and threats for Congress are being raised in media.
Will Congress-Mukt opposition soon to turn into a reality?
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Is AAP the new alternative for 2024?
Before that, let us look at how parties in Punjab geared for this election.
How did every stakeholder in Punjab dealt in this election?
Shiromani Akali Dal did not perform well in Punjab, however, they were focused on a specific region of Punjab. Apart from them, there were two big players in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party, and Congress.
Congress was the sitting government in Punjab and AAP, a disrupter.
As far as Congress is concerned, they followed high command orders in Punjab polls. A handful of people to the Gandhis dictated the strategy, making the local leader the first casualty.
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On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party did not by their defeat in the 2017 polls. In 2017, AAP was able to secure only 12 seats. However, AAP took the defeat as an opportunity to come back stronger but Congress didn’t bother to work on their internal issues and it changed the game for AAP in the state. Nevertheless, the story is not the same in Punjab.
Will congress really hang on?
Congress gathered eyeballs in UP due to Priyanka Gandhi. She was then in charge of the state, and her slogan, Ladki Hu lad Sakti hu, seemed to click but somehow failed to impress the masses.
However, Priyanka Gandhi also said, “no matter the result, I will hang on.” But the question lies, will Priyanka focus on UP even after the election loss? The question also becomes prominent, as Congress could not hold onto its Manipur Bastion. The fight in Goa and Uttarakhand was marred by arrogance, which again triggered the question of Congress-Mukt opposition.
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Earlier in Bengal elections, Chief Minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee termed Congress a liability.
Why could AAP be an alternative to congress?
The Arvind Kejriwal style of working is similar to BJP. A hungry 24×7 working politician regards defeat as a stepping stone to success.
AAP is targeting states where Congress is in a fight with BJP. As Congress loses the sheen, AAP is gaining the ground that Congress is losing. Moreover, AAP will look to expand beyond Delhi and Punjab as well.
What is the future of Congress?
The expansion of the Aam Aadmi Party will push the Congress party out of the game even further. Looking at the bigger picture, Congress is still the only National alternative to BJP. Despite the fact, they are losing the elections. Currently, Congress is in power in just Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This also clarifies why it will be difficult for Congress to occupy the lead space of the opposition.
As 2024 elections are also around the corner, it will not be a surprise to see Arvind Kejriwal aiming for the 2024 General elections. He is already ahead of Mamata Banerjee with his governments in two states.
If Congress continues to lose elections, the party will vanish. The party needs strong reforms to atleast stay in the game. In fact, they could be eased out of the opposition space as well. In addition, congress’ relationship with many of its allies is broken. The continuous defeats in the state elections led to Congress losing strength in Rajya Sabha. Many vacancies come out in the Rajya Sabha given up by the Congress MPs, weakening the party’s power in the Upper House of the parliament.
On the contrary, TMC and AAP could replace Congress in Rajya Sabha.
Problems with Congress
· Lack of performance
· A poor report card
· Lack of strategy
· Confusion over leadership
· Lack of faith in Rahul Gandhi
Congress now lacks fire in the belly and lives in limbo with a high command culture. The nature of politics has changed. Voters see PM Modi working hard as a PM and leader of BJP. That is precisely what Kejriwal is doing in states. He is travelling across the country, seems busy all the time, and always networking, which obviously Congress party is not doing.
Conclusion
If this question is asked, “Are we heading for Congress-Mukt opposition”? The answer will be ‘Yes.’ A couple of elections are left to go before 2024. Congress really does not have much time to raise its stake else only 90s Kids will talk about the party.
