The decisive defeat in four states, including Rajasthan, has posed a significant challenge for the Congress. The party is now grappling with the task of saving the I.N.D.I.A coalition was formed just four months ago. The second challenge is Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (Connect India Journey). Without the consent of India’s allies, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge called for a meeting on Wednesday, December 6, the day the results of the elections in five states were to be announced, possibly assuming that the party would be forming governments in three states.
However, things did not go as planned, and the situation turned completely around. Later, seeing that the meeting might be a failure, it was called off. Despite the expectations of victory in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh, as asserted by their leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress had minimal hopes for Rajasthan, relying on charisma. However, the results completely turned the tables for Congress.
Congress chose a day for the meeting that coincided with the events of December 6, 1992, when the Ayodhya incident occurred. It was a day when the entire opposition, inside and outside Parliament, was protesting against the events of December 6. Attempts were made to give political mileage to the appeasement policy, benefiting the BJP.
Gradually, the opposition realised that a deal was being struck, and for some years, December 6 was forgotten. However, for the BJP, this event is now like a golden era. After this incident, the politics of Hindutva gained strength, and it played a crucial role in the BJP’s victory in major Hindi states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The entire opposition is in shock.
Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for six months later. For those elections, on January 22, the inauguration of the Ram Mandir is taking place in Ayodhya. It is believed that once again, the wave of the Ram Mandir will sweep the country, and the BJP might deliver its best performance yet. The target could be crossing 400 seats. Congress is trapped in a situation where it seems unable to do anything.
Considering the Karnataka win as a wave of change, Congress gave the name ‘I.N.D.I.A’ to the coalition of 26 parties, challenging Prime Minister Modi. The inclusion of key parties in the coalition made it reminiscent of the 2004 era. However, the defeat of the three states has put them in a difficult position. Consequently, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, and Akhilesh Yadav distanced themselves from Congress rather than confronting Modi. In the coming days, old associates like Sharad Pawar from NCP and the leaders of the RJD might also part ways. Taking all these things into consideration, the meeting scheduled on December 6 was called off.
In these circumstances, Congress faces the dilemma of starting Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Although these days, Rahul Gandhi’s strong advisor Jairam Ramesh said that the results are disappointing, the party will now gear up for the Lok Sabha elections.
