The Maharashtra results would have come as no surprise to the astute readers of SWAT Analysis, as Gulf News predicted in October that the BJP was on a winning streak, primarily due to the enormous egos of the leading lights of the opposition.
No voter, however patient, likes to be taken for granted to the extent of bemusedly watching family soap operas being passed off as politics. The opposition offered voters no issues worth considering, no slogans, and not even sensible sops for women voters, unlike the widely popular Eknath Shinde initiative.
The only message they had for voters was: Elect us because we are entitled to rule and deserve your sympathy vote. The voters, however, responded with a resounding “Too bad”—their message clear: “Boo hoo, we gave you a sympathy vote once; don’t expect it again.”
The results, while predictable, spell catastrophic news for the Congress, India’s oldest opposition party. They mercilessly expose the party’s fundamental and nearly irreparable flaws, highlighting how thoroughly disenchanted India has become with it.
A familiar shrug
For perspective, consider that the Congress ruled Maharashtra for 15 consecutive years (1999–2014). Once the state’s strongest pan-Maharashtra party, it has today been reduced to just 15 seats. The same set of leaders bungled what was thought to be a sure-shot win in Haryana. Yet, no Congress leader considers it their accountability to own up and take responsibility.
The Gandhi family—the Uber-leadership of the Congress—remains preoccupied with celebrating Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s win in Wayanad, refusing to take ownership, accountability, or tough decisions.
After every defeat, Rahul Gandhi emerges with a familiar shrug and says, “We will learn lessons from why we lost.” Really? A political party exists for one reason: to win elections and wield power. Everything else is window dressing. Today, the Congress resembles a tired old boxer stepping out of retirement for a prize bout, only to be knocked out with the first blow.
The opposition, composed of regional parties—many offshoots of the Congress—barely conceals its hostility towards the Gandhi family, particularly Rahul Gandhi. These parties increasingly view the Congress as an entitled drag on their fight against the BJP.
As I tweeted on the day of the results, the BJP has cleverly ensured that it no longer needs a maximalist Modi campaign to win. In Haryana and Maharashtra, Modi conducted only a handful of rallies, and his face was not the BJP’s primary calling card. In fact, Modi was abroad for much of the Maharashtra campaign, yet the BJP triumphed.
This shift indicates that Rahul Gandhi’s personalised campaign of targeting Modi has lost traction. The opposition is failing to connect with voters on resonant issues. Presently, they have no electoral answer to the BJP.
The palace coterie
The Gandhi family now functions like a giant banyan tree under which no new leadership grows. Forget mass regional leaders—they don’t even have a bonsai version. The same tired faces, like Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, run campaigns with predictable results.
The only young leader remaining in the Congress after a mass exodus, Sachin Pilot, is barely utilised. Another leader with significant youth appeal, Shashi Tharoor, who is seen as an aspirational figure, is similarly sidelined. Party insiders attribute this to the insecurity of the palace coterie surrounding the Gandhi family.
Both Pilot and Tharoor have strong urban appeal—a demographic the Congress desperately needs to convince of its credentials as a party of jobs and governance. Yet, they remain walled up, unused assets.
Post-Maharashtra, the Congress faces an uphill battle across India. Paradoxically, however, every electoral failure and leader’s exit only strengthens the Gandhi family’s iron grip on the party.
This is the million-dollar question the Congress needs to ask itself before it can expect India to start voting for it again.
