Slow decision-making, factionalism dent Congress prospects in Haryana, Maharashtra

By Prashant Sood
New Delhi [India], Oct 24 (ANI): The Congress put up a credible performance in Haryana assembly poll but slipped to the fourth position in Maharashtra as the results of the assembly polls in the two states showed party not being able to put its act together due to slow decision-making and factionalism.
While the party gained in terms of seats and vote share in Haryana, it got less votes in Maharashtra as compared to 2014 assembly elections.
The party delayed decisions on the appointment of state chiefs in both the states. The decision-making in the party also suffered due to limbo over Rahul Gandhi's resignation as party chief following the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
It took the party more than two months to end the uncertainty and appoint Sonia Gandhi as its interim chief.
In Haryana, former chief Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had to virtually goad the leadership into action by holding a 'Maha Parvitran' rally in August where he made a slew of promises on his own and even hinted at the possibility of charting an independent course.
It was in September, barely one-and-a-half months before the assembly polls, that Congress appointed former Union Minister Kumari Selja as new state unit chief and made Hooda legislature party leader and chairman of the Election Management Committee.
The party went into elections without a clear chief ministerial face though Hooda had a say in the distribution of tickets. The results showed that a more concerted campaign and early declaration of state leadership could have tilted scales in favour of the Congress.
Factionalism in the party also came to the fore when former state unit chief Ashok Tanwar resigned days before polling in the state.
In Maharashtra, the party-appointed Balasaheb Thorat as party chief in July after Ashok Chavan had resigned following the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. Several senior leaders of the party resigned or crossed over to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance.
While actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar and former minister Kripashankar Singh resigned, Sanjay Nirupam announced that he will not campaign in the polls. He also had an apparent feud with Milind Deora.
The Congress campaign for the assembly polls appeared to lack thrust and sharpness with party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not campaigning.
Rahul Gandhi held a few rallies in the two states but the Congress campaign appeared to be no match to the concerted campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.
The results have also highlighted the need to have strong regional leaders. Party leader Anand Sharma admitted that there has been a delay in taking decisions.
"Perhaps it is right that there has been a delay in taking decisions regarding the organisation," he said.
Sharma said it was a "moral defeat" for the BJP as it had lost 22 per cent vote in Haryana as compared to the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state earlier this year and had set a target of winning 75 seats in 90-member assembly. The party finished with a tally of 40 with Congress winning 31 seats, more than twice its tally of 15 in 2014.
The Congress had polled 20.58 per cent votes in Haryana in 2014 and its poll percentage went up to over 28 per cent in the results declared on Thursday. Congress had got 35. 08 per cent votes in 2009 polls.
The BJP also improved its vote share in Haryana. Its voting percentage went up from 33.20 per cent votes in 2014 and 36.44 in 2019.
In Maharashtra, the Congress vote share declined from 17.95 per cent in 2009 to 15.84 per cent in 2019. The party's tally marginally improved from 42 to 45.
Its ally NCP performed much better bagging 54 seats as compared to 41 in 2014.
The Congress had some good news in the by-polls winning three of six seats in Gujarat and the lone seat in party-ruled Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)