Mumbai

Back to Square One

The dismal performance of the Indian National Congress in Maharashtra’s state elections underscores the party’s inability to connect with voters and offer a viable alternative to the BJP.

By Atif Shamim Syed | January 2025


The Indian National Congress outperformed expectations in the 2024 General Elections, securing 99 seats alone and 234 seats through the INDIA coalition, effectively snatching the absolute majority from within the BJP’s grasp. Political analysts within India and without hailed it as the grand old party’s much-awaited comeback. Election results were seen as a prelude to further glories to come. Congress was back in business, and nothing and no one could stop it. The jubilation, though, proved to be short-lived.

Only a few months later, in November 2024, Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the Maharashtra assembly polls. BJP’s Maha Yuti alliance won 235 out of 288 seats in an election with record voter turnout. The Congress-aligned Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) could not secure enough seats even to form an opposition in a state seen as a key vote bank.

The Maharashtra debacle has brought Congress back to square one. The party’s spectacular performance in the general elections had cornered the BJP. Losing Maharashtra would have disrupted the status quo and allowed Congress to ride its winning momentum into further states.

Unfortunately, Congress-aligned MVA’s dismal performance shattered all hopes of a nationwide resurgence and reversed progress made in the recent general elections.

From day one, Maha Yuti engaged with disenchanted voters to counter their anti-incumbency sentiment. Rather than cashing in on it, the Congress remained surprisingly passive, failing to craft a compelling narrative that could strengthen its campaign. In contrast, the BJP wove together various socio-economic issues and topped them with a touch of Hindutva. MVA’s campaign was sluggish, unclear, and rarely connected with voters.

The Maharashtra elections also served as a referendum on Rahul Gandhi’s persistent polls pitch since the general elections—saving democracy and the constitution. Unfortunately, the Maharashtra electorate didn’t buy it. Efforts to rally voters behind a strong push for a caste census also fell flat. Meanwhile, the BJP and its mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), effectively advanced their narratives of unity (Ek hain to safe hain) and deprived Congress of even a fraction of ideological triumph.

Maharashtra polls brought another setback for the Congress and its ally, Uddhav Thackeray, who tried to use Gautam Adani as an electoral plank. The attempt to frame a narrative around an assumed association between Modi and Adani backfired. Similarly, the effort to stoke a Maharashtra-Gujarat divide did not resonate.

Maharashtra poll results highlight a stark contrast in strategy and execution between the Indian National Congress and the BJP. While the Congress still seems to be grappling with its electoral loss, the BJP’s proactive approach and impeccable election management are evident. The BJP identified its own shortcomings and devised plans to address them. The Congress was sluggish and overconfident. It had no election strategy and failed to devise one when faced with the BJP onslaught.

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