After the crushing defeat in Haryana, it is now difficult for the Congress to conquer the fort of Maharashtra. The Haryana election results have made the Congress realize that it still has a long way to go. If it wants to do well in Maharashtra and win, it will have to change its electoral strategy. At the same time, the Congress will have to learn from the reasons for its defeat in Haryana and avoid a repeat in the Maharashtra elections. Here are 5 reasons why Congress lost the elections.
1. The BJP’s vote base needs to be strengthened
The Congress has improved its vote share in Haryana. Here, the Congress has increased its vote share by 12% in the 2024 assembly elections compared to 2019, but the BJP has also increased its vote share by 3%. This shows that the Congress is still not able to attract the base voters of the BJP. The BJP has also managed to retain its vote base in Maharashtra. In such a situation, if the Congress has to win the Maharashtra elections, it will have to make a dent in the BJP’s vote bank.
2. It is necessary to take coalition partners along
One of the major reasons for the defeat of the Congress in Haryana is the non-alignment with the AAP. The AAP had demanded 3 seats from the Congress, but the Congress did not give it. In the election, the AAP contested alone and damaged the vote bank of the Congress in 6 to 7 seats. In Maharashtra too, the Congress is adopting a similar approach with its allies. The Congress is staking claim to several seats where the Shiv Sena and the UBT are also strong contenders. In such a situation, the Congress has to rethink its strategy.
3. Success in the Lok Sabha will not lead to victory in the assembly
In the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress performed well in both Haryana and Maharashtra, almost matching the BJP’s vote share. In such a situation, Congress leaders started thinking that they could defeat the BJP alone, but Haryana proved that the issues of the Lok Sabha would not run in the assembly elections. Congress will have to work on local issues. At the same time, a new strategy is needed.
4. Stopping factionalism in state leadership
A major reason for the defeat in Haryana has also been the infighting within the state leadership. Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Shailaja Kumari fought for the chief minister’s post before winning the election. As a result, the Congress workers were divided into two groups. The same is the situation in Maharashtra. Here, the Congress has many leaders like Amit Deshmukh, Vijay Wadettiwar, Nana Patole, Sunil Kedar, Yashomati Thakur, Satej Patil, and Balasaheb Thorat, who keep on grouping instead of walking together.
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