The forthcoming elections in five states is going to be a do-or-die battle for the Congress. The party is not even in the running in Uttar Pradesh, the most populated state in the country. The situation in UP is such that a third position finish will be considered a good show for the grand old party. On the other hand, a lot is at stake for the congress party in the rest of the states, in Punjab the party is in power and occupies the place of the main opposition party in Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. In both Manipur and Goa, the party finished as the single largest party last elections, whilst in Uttarakhand the party lost the elections after failing to keep its flock together. The Congress party could not recover from the jolt as nine MLAs left just before the elections. Time has come now for the Congress to learn from past mistakes. The party will have to improve its performance to remain the principal opposition party in the country. Otherwise, the party is all set to drift into oblivion as many opposition parties are eyeing to fill the void left by the Congress.
But it seems that the Congress party is yet to understand the importance of the forthcoming polls. Infighting has considerably dented the party’s chances in Punjab. The party’s leadership should have managed the situation more judiciously considering the fact that Punjab is one of the two states in northern India where the party is in power. It was expected that the Congress party would go all out to retain Punjab, however it appears that it has already conceded major ground to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party (AAP) even before a single ballot is cast. Poll analysts are predicting a good show by AAP, which will put a spanner in Congress’ electoral prospects in Punjab. If predictions made by psephologists are correct, it will be a major blow for the Congress as the situation was tailor-made for the party to rule the state for another term, with the separation between the Akalis and BJP over the controversial farm bills.
As anti-incumbency factor always helps the opposition, the Congress is hopeful of winning Manipur and Goa. But in Goa, the party has suffered a setback due to its inability to forge alliances with like-minded parties. It was anticipated that the Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP would contest polls in alliance, as these three parties are partners in the Maharashtra government. Eventually, the Congress decided to go alone, while the Shiv Sena and NCP alliance joined the fray separately. The presence of regional parties like Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and AAP in Goa has also made the task difficult for the Congress. Same is the case in Manipur, where the party has allied only with the left. It’s a direct fight between the Congress and BJP in Uttarakhand and according to analysts the ruling party is ahead in the race. With very little time in hand, the Congress will have to work overtime to reverse its electoral fortunes to stay relevant in Indian politics.