The Congress' uninspiring election campaign in Nagaland and Tripura and it is lack of ability to create the federal government in Meghalaya despite to be the single-largest party exposes its claims of challenging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in front of the big 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who came back from Italia after working the Holi weekend with maternal grandmother, accused the BJP of usurping power in Meghalaya and "using big bucks to produce an opportunistic alliance".
Rahul Gandhi's accusations were like the ones he earned from the BJP once the latter cobbled up alliances in Goa and Manipur, and thwarted Congress' likelihood of developing governments within the two states.
To create matters hard for the party, talks of the non-BJP, non-Congress Third Front are gaining traction with key regional satraps like K Chandrasekhar Rao of Telangana and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal supporting the concept.
Insufficient MEN ON GROUND
What possibly ails the Congress most is its insufficient organisational strength when pitted from the BJP, which offers a good ground pressure. In Gujarat, the Congress improved its tally but tend to not dislodge the BJP despite an exciting-out campaign by Rahul Gandhi.
On near to twelve seats, the Congress lost the race with a very slender margin. The Congress and it is alliances got 77 seats as the BJP won 99 from the 182 seats within the Gujarat Set up.
Based on local reports, party leaders and workers felt these dozen-odd seats might have attended the Congress' cat when the party had enough organisational strength to pay for the space and breadth from the condition prior to the polls.
In Tripura, in which the Congress went from 10 seats in 2013 not to winning just one seat within the recent election, nearly 10,000 workers were stated to possess became a member of the BJP within the last 2 yrs.
LEADERSHIP Does Not INSPIRE
If workers in almost any party feel demotivated, the culprit rests squarely around the party's leadership. In Nagaland, for example, the Congress' condition chief lashed out at Clubpenguin Joshi, the overall secretary in-charge for Northeast.
Five candidates pulled from the election in Nagaland because of fund crunch. Nagaland Congress chief Kewe Khape Therie accused the leadership, particularly Clubpenguin Joshi, of abandoning the condition.
He stated Joshi visited the condition only once within the last two-and-a-half years. Congress president, who addressed rallies in Tripura, gave Nagaland a miss. From eight seats in 2013, the Congress' tally came lower to zero this time around.
In Tripura, Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally other family members . of campaigning. In comparison, Pm Narendra Modi visited Tripura two times in Feb to deal with rallies in front of the election.
Within the Northeast, the BJP's greatest trump card continues to be Himanta Biswa Sarma who left the Congress because of not receiving proper audience through the top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi.
This past year, the party leadership received attack for acting slow in Goa and letting the BJP stake claim that they can make up the government. Fingers were pointed at then Goa in-charge Digvijaya Singh for neglecting to stitch up an alliance despite winning more seats compared to BJP.
BUCK STOPS WITH RAHUL GANDHI
A party's loss or win is related to its workers and also the party chief, as well as in this situation it's Rahul Gandhi. As the Congress chief originates a lengthy way in the days as he was viewed as unapproachable, the street ahead is difficult.
The BJP was quick to fight Rahul over his absence at any given time once the Congress unsuccessful to spread out its account in Nagaland and Manipur and it was fighting to create the federal government in Meghalaya.
Following a spirited campaign in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi was virtually absent in the scene within the Northeast, barring Meghalaya.
This season is vital for that Congress chief who'll now lead his party in elections in big states for example Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
His capability to win elections may also determine whether senior leaders like Mamata Banerjee, who is not forthcoming together with her thoughts about the Congress chief, see in him a nationwide leader. Mamata blamed the Congress for supplying "oxygen" towards the BJP in Tripura and stated the party declined her offer to have an alliance.
As the Third Front continues to be within the works, Rahul Gandhi must prove his winning credentials if he wishes to stitch a formidable alliance to challenge the BJP in 2019