The Lok Sabha results have not been as per expectations for Congress. Although Congress was able to secure only 99 seats in the Lok Sabha elections this time, yet losing in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and other assembly seats is a matter of prime concern.
Apart from this, the performance in Hindi speaking belts also needs to be assessed. Therefore, to deliberate and contemplate on the causes of defeat in the Lok Sabha elections there is possibility that a committee may be formed by Congress. Surprisingly, the committee will be formed after a decade. If party sources are to be believed, the committee shall not only review the election results of every state in the Lok Sabha elections but also deliberate on the reasons of defeat.
The Congress party established a committee led by senior leader AK Antony to investigate the reasons behind its crushing defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, none of the recommendations of the committee were implemented. The most significant suggestion from the Antony committee was to steer clear of the politics of Muslim appeasement. Following this, Congress never established another committee.
During Rahul Gandhi’s tenure as president, the party experienced continuous losses in several states. Despite a severe defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party made no effort to identify the reasons behind the loss. Rahul Gandhi, the party chief, blamed the leaders and resigned from the presidency as a mere formality. Furthermore, before the Lok Sabha election, Congress faced defeats in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, yet the reasons for these losses have not been discussed to date.
Instead of investigating the reasons behind their defeats, the entire Congress party focused solely on defending the Gandhi family. The Gandhi family themselves made no effort to understand their losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approached, the party attempted to unite the entire opposition to defeat the BJP. This strategy ultimately benefited the opposition more than Congress. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) regained strength in Uttar Pradesh, with experts suggesting that while Congress played the caste card, it was SP that reaped the benefits. Had Congress contested the elections alone, it might have secured more seats. Now, it finds itself dependent on SP. The future will reveal how much importance SP assigns to Congress. If Congress wins future state elections, smaller parties will give it more significance, ensuring the survival of the alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
Talking about Bihar, the weak Congress has already surrendered before RJD. Congress did win in Hindi belt states Rajasthan and Haryana. But with alliance with smaller parties. Its result is that after the results, RLP leader Hanuman Beniwal, an ally in Rajasthan, started saying that Congress won because of us and in the by-elections, he has increased the problems of Congress by staking claim on four seats. In Haryana, the party split due to factionalism.
There is growing pressure within the party to conduct a review regarding the plight in Hindi speaking states, the crushing defeat in Gujarat, Orissa, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the poor performance in ruling Telangana and Karnataka. Not winning even a single seat in Madhya Pradesh, Himachal and Uttarakhand is being considered a big setback. Although the party leaders are trying to suppress this defeat by putting forward the victory in 99 seats, but there is concern in the party.
If sources are to be believed, the party will soon form a committee and deliberate on the results. In the past ten years the party has become weak in the Hindi belt and the situation has worsened in the South too.
