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Come March 27th Onwards the Congress party will be on their edge of their seats. As the results of Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal will prove what lies for the party ahead and what it needs to do to replace in the foreseeable future the BJP led NDA at the Centre .
In their run- up to the polls, the Congress it seems has given in to the allies pressure in terms of seats they are contesting . In battle ground West Bengal where the face-off is direct between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP , the Congress party is contesting 92 seats out of 294 . It had won 44 in 2016 . In Tamil Nadu , Where the Congress is in ally with the DMK it has managed to get 25 seats 16 seats less than last time of 41 in the 2345 member house. In Assam Congress which once ruled for 15 years under stalwart Late Tarun Gogoi is now banking on its Grand alliance consisting parties like – AIUDF, BPF, CPI(M), CPI, CPI-ML and the Anchalik Gana Morcha to oust the BJP . It is contesting as reports suggest 87 seats out of 126 assembly seats.
In Puducherry which is a Union territory of 30 seats, Congress has forged an alliance. It will contest 15 seats while allies DMK 13, CPI, VCK 1 each .
The point is now clear that a national party like the Congress is now banking its political fortunes to revive riding on the bank of regional parties. This scenario does not augur well for the party and nor inspire the confidence of the party workers. It was Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) who called the shots in Bihar Polls and Congress was forced to play second fiddle and now M K Stalin ( DMK ) has done the same In Tamil Nadu polls. In Maharashtra too, It is the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray and the Maratha stalwart Sharad Pawar’s NCP who are calling the shots and Congress it appears is just a part of the government.
Hence it becomes all the necessity that Congress fares well at the forthcoming polls. Will the Congress party ride on the discontent in Assam over the contentious CAA and NRC to replace the Sarbananda Sonowal regime?. The party has always indicated that its main rival is the BJP , so has it missed the trick by not backing Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, where its allies in Maharashtra – Shiv Sena , NCP , And RJD ( Bihar), JMM ( Jharkhand) are backing Didi?
Can the party form the government in Puducherry riding the sympathy wave where its previous government lost on the floor of the house during voter of confidence?. Senior Congress leader P C Chacko’s resignation has brought to the fore the camps within the Congress in Kerala. Can the party put a united front to replace the Left? Only time will tell.
If the results do not swing the Congress party’s way then it would be in dire straits face the inevitable existential crisis . Once again the issues of having regular party president, need for organisational polls and election to the CWC will be raised with more intensity . Moreover, the G-23 leaders of the party had raised these genuine concerns with a aim to revive the party and take on the formidable BJP but unfortunately their suggestions are seen as dissent and leaders have been snubbed. So for the Congress and its future May 2, 2021 will be a make or break day.
