New Delhi, March 10 (UNI) As the Congress faced an embarrassing defeat in the polls in five states, voices once again emerged from asking the leadership to address the issue of in fighting, as it lost Punjab where it was in power, as well as Goa and Uttarakhand where it expected to register victory this time.
While party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala blamed former chief minister Amarinder Singh for its loss in Punjab, he admitted that the party was expecting better performance in Goa and Uttarakhand, and it needed to go to the ground. In Punjab, the Congress had over 38 percent vote share in 2017 assembly polls, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which made its debut in the state that year, got around 23 percent vote share and 20 seats.
As the results came out on Thursday, Congress got around 22 percent votes, while AAP doubled its share polling over 40 percent votes. “Senior party leaders should look at the infighting in the party,” a Congress worker in Punjab said. Ahead of the polls, the Congress had made former chief minister Amarinder Singh resign from his post after an internal survey.
The decision had come after months of war of words between Singh, and Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. A miffed Singh said he felt ‘humiliated’ and resigned from the party.
Singh founded his own Punjab Lok Congress, but lost his stronghold Patiala Urban seat to Ajit Pal Singh Kohli of AAP. Charanjit Singh Channi, who was made the chief minister replacing Singh, and also announced as the CM’s face in the polls, lost from both Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur.
Even after Channi was made the CM replacing Singh, Sidhu’s attack on the party continued, and he even gave his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi, even as he later withdrew it. “The fighting within the party had a negative impact on elections. Senior party leaders should look at it,” a party worker in Punjab said.
Another party leader in Delhi meanwhile said the results for Goa and Uttarakhand were a bigger shocker for the Congress. “In Uttarakhand, the anti-incumbency was strong and it is evident in the loss faced by Pushkar Singh Dhami. Similarly, Goa was a state we had almost won last time, yet we could not be in power,” a party leader told UNI. In Uttarakhand, Congress had won 11 seats, and got around 33 percent vote share.
This time, it got around 37 percent votes, and won 19 seats. The BJP meanwhile got 47 seats, and its vote share came down marginally from over 46 percent in 2017 to around 44 percent this time. In Goa, Congress won 11 seats, and got around 23 percent vote share this time, compared to 28 percent votes and 17 seats in 2017. The Congress office in Delhi remained deserted as celebrations were held at the BJP and AAP offices.
The party also said a meeting of the Congress Working Committee would be called soon to analyse the defeat. Party leader Shashi Tharoor meanwhile called for organizational reforms, a demand which has kept arising from senior Congress leaders from time to time.
“All of us who believe in Congress are hurting from the results of the recent assembly elections. It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation and to reform our organisational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people,” Tharoor said.
Amid clamours for organisational changes and for holding elections in the party, Sonia Gandhi had said in October last year at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee that she is a “full time” and “hands on” president of the Congress.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi, who had resigned from the post of president in 2019, meanwhile accepted defeat. “Humbly accept the people’s verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication.
We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India,” he said. Polls for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur were held between February 10 and march 7, and the results were declared today.
