Monday, February 3rd, 2025

The defeat of Haryana and Maharashtra has weakened Congress, will we also see a third front?

New Delhi: In the Lok Sabha elections, Congress performed relatively better in Maharashtra and got the lead. But, due to the historic defeat in the assembly elections held just a few months later, the party has lost all its gains and has again reached the same conflict zone where it has been stuck for the last 10 years. Such a zone, where Congress not only remains the target of its allies and regional parties but also struggles with factionalism within the party. Also, now the party has reached such a point where if it does not take concrete and tough decisions keeping the future in mind, then a new equation can be seen in the politics of the country.Delay in taking difficult decisions
There is uneasiness within Congress after the defeat in Maharashtra. A party leader said that the party is bearing the brunt of not taking decisions on long pending issues. he/she believes that this is increasing frustration among the workers. his/her point seems reasonable. See for example, the problems which the party was facing in the states 11 years ago, are still facing the same problems even after 11 years. From Haryana, Rajasthan and many other places it had to suffer losses due to factionalism. Even after this, the leadership could not take any concrete decision on this issue.

So questions will be asked to the leadership
Congress has been marginalized in states like Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, but it has not made any serious efforts to improve its position. The workers believed that after Mallikarjun Kharge became the president, things would become clear, new faces would get a chance at the organization level and it would also expand. But, the ritual was carried out in the name of change. A section of the party believes that the Congress leadership has stretched the status quo to such an extent that if major changes are not made, it may have to face tough questions.

failed in direct competition
On most occasions, Congress could not survive in a direct contest with BJP. This political weakness of his/her is not going away. Congress had tried to dispel this perception through victory in the Karnataka and Himachal assembly elections and better performance in the Lok Sabha. However, the defeat of Haryana and now Maharashtra has again raised the same question. At both places, Congress was directly challenging BJP and it failed at both places.

Dissatisfaction among allies
Now even the allies are angry with the wavering attitude of the Congress and its tendency of not taking decisions. Allied regional parties believe that Congress not only keeps things complicated in all matters ranging from decisions to decisions but also imposes its own impractical conditions. A senior leader of a regional party said that in the situation that arose after the Lok Sabha elections, it had become a political compulsion to obey the Congress. Due to this, Congress became more aggressive. But, after the defeat first in Haryana and now in Maharashtra, regional parties will once again put pressure on Congress.

Regional parties won in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Congress was a minor partner there. Its effect was also visible. After the victory in Jharkhand, Hemant Soren indicated that it is not necessary to accept every condition of Congress regarding participation in the government. Omar Abdullah also gave a similar indication in Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, in Bihar, it is possible that even RJD in India may not give as much share to Congress as it demands.

Rumors of a third front again

Regional parties believe that now Congress should not ask for share just by citing the national party or elder brother, it should first establish its value. If she makes an honest effort to establish her values, perhaps things will improve. If there is no change in the attitude of the Congress, then it is also coming to the fore that non-Congress and non-BJP parties should unite and again explore the possibility of a third front. This is indicated by the message of TMC, in which the party said that it is not very willing to go with the Congress.

The party argued that in West Bengal it defeated BJP on all 6 seats in the by-elections and Congress had also fielded its candidates on all those seats. If there is any possibility of a third front then leaders like KCR, Naveen Patnaik can also be active in it.

Next one year is going to be important
However, Congress still has time to introspect and bring things back on track. Assembly elections will be held in Delhi in January-February, where in the current situation there seems to be a direct contest between Aam Aadmi Party and BJP. In the present situation, Congress is not that strong a force. After this, assembly elections will be held in Bihar at the end of next year. Congress will remain there as the junior partner of RJD. Soon after, in early 2026, the party will enter Assam and Kerala, where it will have a direct fight with its rivals. In such a situation, the next one year for the party will be make or break.

If Congress does not come out of the phase of indecision and performs weakly in these states too, then surely efforts to find its alternative in the opposition space will gain momentum. At the same time, if the party learns from the recent defeat and brings about radical changes in itself, then it will be able to move forward as a force.

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