After yet another fall, Congress stares at abyss

NEW DELHI: Congress' loss of two more states five months after its worst Lok Sabha elections means its national dominance has been reduced to a footnote on the political map. Congress now has to suffer the humiliation of leading governments in just 9/29 states, mostly in politically insignificant and geographically tiny states.

A traveller wanting to crisscross Congress states would end up missing a lion's share of the Indian political landscape. After Kerala and Karnataka, it will take a long flight to tiny Uttrakhand to see the nearest Congress-ruled state. In the course there would be an aerial view of Congress’ lost citadels in the south, west, Hindi heartland and most of east India.

Apart from these three, Congress rule is restricted to Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya. The nine states account for 88 Lok Sabha seats out of which the party has not won even half. Congress is also a junior partner in JMM-headed Jharkhand.

Even the post-Emergency and post-Bofors defeat never looked so grim for Congress. Keeping away from Delhi on result day, Rahul Gandhi said, "we accept the people’s verdict. Congress will work hard on the ground to once again earn the people's confidence". He then tried to blame anti-incumbency. "People voted for change after 15 years of our government in Maharashtra and 10 years in Haryana."

But not many in his party is ready to buy the line. "Why BJP has not suffered anti-incumbency in Gujarat since 1998, in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since 2003 and with ally Akali Dal in Punjab? Why is Patnaik ruling Odisha for so long," asked a senior AICC functionary. He added that effective leadership, and political management can beat back anti-incumbency. "Barring nearly seven years, Congress has governed Maharashtra since 1962 without hiccups, even after NCP split from it, until greenhorns were made CM, PCC chief and AICC general secretary," he added.

While the AICC establishment is expected to come-out with rejig and action-plan for revival to shield Rahul Gandhi, many feel his style of leadership, strange ideas and apolitical team provide the Modi-led BJP a key strategic advantage.