IPA Newspack
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets

IPA /

IPA Special

IPA Special

Congress Can Take Lessons From Indira’s Chikmagaluru Victory To Succeed In 2024 Polls

By Kalyani Shankar

Dame Luck smiles at every Party at a particular moment. The 137-year Grand Old Congress Party, which has seen many ups and downs, is no exception. Winning a prosperous and significant Karnataka recently gave Congress that golden moment. If Congress wants to revive itself, it can’t sit on the laurels of recent triumph.

Congress faces elections to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram later this year, and the Grand finale is in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Will the Congress build on the Karnataka victory, drawing on the history of how late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used her Chikmagaluru moment? She always took advantage of every opportunity.

Old-timers recall how Indira, after the emergency used her Chikmagaluru by-election win in 1978 to return to bring her Party to power in 1980Lok Sabha elections… They also recall how Indira used her Belchi moment to her advantage. In July 1977, 11 persons, including eight Dalits, were ruthlessly murdered by a gang in Bihar. She visited the victims in Belchi by riding an elephant and a tractor.

Karnataka was lucky for Indira’s daughter-in-law, Sonia Gandhi too. She won her first elections in 1999 from the Bellary constituency, a Congress citadel. She built a viable coalition, brought the Party to power in 2004, and ruled for ten years.

The present victory has given Congress to seize two immediate initiatives. One is to revive the organisation, which is out of shape. The second is to take the lead in uniting the Opposition with its newfound boost.

The Congress played its card well in Karnataka by raising the bread and butter and local issues. It also gave the local leaders a free hand. The High command only assisted in the campaign. It paid dividends

On the contrary, the BJP played a wrong poll strategy to the advantage of the Congress. Depending on the Modi magic and the high-voltage campaign by top BJP leaders gave limited success for the BJP. The weak chief minister Bommai and allegations of enormous corruption added to its woes. The Hindutva or Ram Mandir have no takers. Hindutva worked only within Coastal districts. There were only a few local issues the BJP could raise. The election also showed that to succeed in the South, it needs s different poll narrative.

More importantly, the loss of Karnataka means the BJP has no presence in South India. The South has 129 seats, of which the BJP won only 29 in 2019.

Congress must learn from the Karnataka polls. Had the Party’s top brass left the newly elected legislators to choose their chief minister, it would have been more democratic. Instead, the legislature Party passed the usual one-line resolution leaving the choice to High Command.

The two aspirants – former chief minister Siddaramaiah and PCC chief D.K. Shivakumar – were cooling their heels in Delhi for four days. Sonia Gandhi finally resolved the issue. She mollified Shiv Kumar to agree to a power-sharing formula with Siddaramaiah as chief minister and Shiv Kumar as his deputy.

Secondly, the real test will be how Congress handles its newly acquired clout for uniting the Opposition coalition for the 2024 Election. In this regard, Congress used the swearing-in ceremony of chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday to exhibit its newfound vigour.

A united Opposition must grab the opportunity to perform well in the upcoming elections. Some 209 Lok Sabha seats are spread across 19 states, where the Congress and the BJP are in direct contest. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has been talking of a one-to-one fight.

Thirdly, Congress regained its lost vote bank of Muslims, Dalits and Backward classes in Karnataka. It should not only be preserved but also replicated in the upcoming elections.

Fourthly, Siddaramaiah began well and implemented five poll promises in his first cabinet meeting as promised. His challenge is to take everybody along and protect his flock from poaching by the BJP. The welfare measures include supplying 200 units of free power to all households, Rs 2000 per month to the head of the family, and 10 kgs of free rice to every member of a BPL household.

Congress has other headaches. It must resolve the Rajasthan and Chattisgarh Power struggles before the upcoming polls. It needs delicate handling. The former Deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot wants to replace Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, but Gehlot is unwilling to go. Both can cause trouble if the other gets the prize.

A similar situation prevails in Chattisgarh; there has been a power struggle between chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and cabinet minister TS Singh Deo.  Rahul Gandhi promised a rotational chief minister after two and a half years in 2018. Deo has been demanding the change.

The recent win in Himachal Pradesh and now Karnataka have shown Congress that unity in the Party and the Opposition, a robust organisation and a compelling narrative should be the new mantra in the coming months. (IPA Service)

 

Politics

DMK to coordinate opposition unity efforts: Stalin

June 1, 2023
Politics

Modi blasts Cong for misleading poor, ‘guarantee habit’

June 1, 2023
Happening Now

Gehlot adds free power to pre-poll promises

June 1, 2023
Politics

Rahul holds session with Silicon Valley AI experts, entrepreneurs

June 1, 2023
Happening Now

Farmers call Khap Mahapanchayat for wrestlers

June 1, 2023
IPA Special

US Govt Putting Pressure On India To Join NATO+ As A Part Of Asia-Pacific Strategy

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Political Outcome From Communal Cauldron May Not Favour BJP

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

No Real Truce Is Ready At Ending Gehlot-Pilot Infighting In Rajasthan Congress

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Slowdown In Containerized Exports Poses Setback To Pro-Export Agenda

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Sons Of First Joint Climbers Of Mount Everest Are Carrying The Legacy Of Their Fathers

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Shiites And Not Jews Emerge As Touchstone Of Saudi Moderation

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Kerala Govt To Move SC Against Centre’s Cut In Net Borrowings Ceiling

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

G7 Conclave Fails To Meet Commitment For Nuclear Weapons Abolition

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

Defection Of Lone Congress MLA In Bengal To TMC Angers Alliance Partner CPI(M)

May 31, 2023
Politics

Gehlot, Pilot patch-up success increasingly in doubt

May 31, 2023
Happening Now

World body condemns action against Indian wrestlers

May 31, 2023
Politics

Yechury appeals to Cong to supports AAP on ordinance

May 31, 2023
Politics

Mamata says Shah trip prompted by her own visit plan

May 31, 2023
Happening Now

Owaisi dares Centre to strike on China instead of Telangana

May 31, 2023
IPA Special

NITI Aayog Has Failed To Play Any Effective Role In Planning For Indian Economy

May 30, 2023

An appeal

The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.
Click here to learn more

Share

Reply

  • 0
More on IPA

US Govt Putting Pressure On India To Join NATO+ As A Part Of Asia-Pacific Strategy

May 31, 2023 3:56 pm | IPA Staff

By Arun Srivastava Narendra Modi’s yearning to be acknowledged as the world leader (Vishwa Guru) has landed India in a unpleasant quagmire endangering its identity...

IPA Special

Political Outcome From Communal Cauldron May Not Favour BJP

May 31, 2023 3:55 pm | IPA Staff

By Dr. Gyan Pathak BJP has broken its legs in Karnataka   assembly polls when it fell into the pitfalls of majority politics. The party, including...

IPA Special

No Real Truce Is Ready At Ending Gehlot-Pilot Infighting In Rajasthan Congress

May 31, 2023 3:09 pm | IPA Staff

By Sushil Kutty The latest Sachin Pilot-Ashok Gehlot patch-up will last till June 8 when disqualified Congress Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi returns from his...

IPA Special

Slowdown In Containerized Exports Poses Setback To Pro-Export Agenda

May 31, 2023 1:44 pm | IPA Staff

By K Raveendran There is a marked slowdown in the containerized exports from India, attributed mainly to a decline in consumer demand for Indian goods...

IPA Special

US Govt Putting Pressure On India To Join NATO+ As A Part Of Asia-Pacific Strategy

in IPA Special
May 31, 2023   ·  

Political Outcome From Communal Cauldron May Not Favour BJP

in IPA Special
May 31, 2023   ·  

No Real Truce Is Ready At Ending Gehlot-Pilot Infighting In Rajasthan Congress

in IPA Special
May 31, 2023   ·  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Follow us on
Up Next: AAP to launch poll campaigns in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, MP
©2020 -2021 India Press Agency, All Rights Reserved.
Newspack by India Press Agency | Statement of Ownership | Contact Us
logo
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets