CWC Meeting: Mallikarjun Kharge reveals critical mistakes behind Congress election loss

CWC Meeting:  During the meet on Friday that was organized by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, it discussed the reason for a defeat of the party in recently concluded assembly elections. Participants of deliberation included Senior Leaders; Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretary, Jairam Ramesh, and Organization Secretary KC Venugopal.

During the meeting, he pointed out several major mistakes, which contributed to the poor performance of the party. Kharge emphasized that internal infighting and public statements against each other had cost the party dearly. Kharge stated that a favorable atmosphere can help in elections but does not guarantee victory unless it translates into results. In many states, he said, the party organization did not perform as expected. In winning the state elections, Congress must focus on local issues and not depend on national topics and leaders.

Kharge also acknowledged that sometimes, the party itself becomes its worst enemy by making negative statements about itself. He expressed concerns over the influence of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and suggested that the election process had become questionable. Furthermore, Kharge called for changes within the party structure, from grassroots to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) level, and warned against overzealousness.

The discussion also went to why the party lost so badly in states like Maharashtra and Haryana. Congress had assumed that it would continue to hold on to its stronghold in Haryana, but the shocking defeat at the hands of BJP raised alarms. Post-defeat, Congress asserted that factionalism within and infighting went a long way to the loss. The party admitted that it was not able to bridge the internal divisions. Congress is, therefore, re-evaluating its strategies and tactics, including the issue of EVMs, and is developing a plan to reach out to the public and create awareness about the issue.