Internal strife in the party, lack of unity… Mallikarjun Kharge told why Congress lost in Haryana-Maharashtra?

New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reviewed the defeat in Maharashtra and Haryana elections in the Congress Working Committee meeting on Friday. he/she expressed concern over the party’s below-expected performance in these elections. Raising questions on internal differences and EVMs, he/she called upon party workers to focus on local issues. Hailing the Congress’ comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he/she admitted that the subsequent assembly elections did not yield the expected results. Kharge urged the party to introspect and correct its shortcomings. Many leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh were present in this meeting.

‘We need to learn from these elections’

Congress President Kharge said that in the four state elections held after the Lok Sabha, the India Alliance formed the government in two states, but the performance of the Congress was disappointing. Reflecting on these results, Kharge stressed on taking immediate corrective steps. he/she said, ‘These results are a message for us. We need to learn from them immediately and remove our weaknesses at the organizational level.

Mentioned about internal strife and disunity in the party

The Congress President pointed to the internal strife and disunity in the party, which proved to be a major hurdle for him/her. Kharge asked, ‘The most important thing I keep saying is that lack of unity and rhetoric against each other hurts us a lot. Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?

‘We have to remain united in every situation’

he/she further said, ‘Therefore it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain united in every situation. The party also has the weapon of discipline. But we do not want to put our colleagues in any bondage. Therefore everyone needs to think that the victory of Congress Party is our victory and the defeat is our defeat. Our strength lies in the strength of the party.

‘Congress will have to change its election strategies’

Kharge also stressed the need for Congress to change its election strategies. he/she talked about focusing on local issues instead of relying only on national leaders and issues. he/she asked, ‘For how long will you fight state elections on the basis of national issues and national leaders?’ he/she urged the party to focus on local issues and prepare a detailed strategy tailored to each state. he/she stressed that preparations for the elections should begin at least a year in advance, with special attention given to voter list management to ensure that party supporters are represented.

Question raised again regarding EVM

After this, Kharge cast doubt on the credibility of the electoral process and criticized the role of EVMs and the Election Commission. he/she said, ‘I believe that EVMs have made the electoral process suspicious. The Election Commission is a constitutional institution, so the less said about it, the better. But it is their constitutional responsibility to ensure free and fair elections in the country.