Congress Faces Primary Challenge of Maintaining Internal Order

The recent incidents indicate a complete lack of planning and control within the Congress as well as deficiencies in its candidate selection process. Earlier, the Congress’s candidate, Rohan Gupta, returned his ticket from Ahmedabad East, citing his father’s illness, only to join the BJP after some time. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), out of the 405 MLAs who quit and switched parties from 2016-2020, as many as 170 – that is, 42% – were from the Congress. In contrast, only 4.4% – or just 18 – BJP legislators jumped ship in this period.

Out of the 12 Lok Sabha members who switched parties in the same period, five were from the BJP. In the Rajya Sabha, out of the 17 who quit, seven were from the Congress, the ADR report says. With these incidents, it is difficult to ascertain how many of the declared Congress candidates are truly committed to the party and how many have a secret pact with others. The recent remarks of Sam Pitroda on inheritance tax have also sparked a row.

He has been a known offender of sorts. In May 2019, Pitroda, when questioned on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, set off a storm with his rather insensitive remarks. In June 2023, his remark that temples were not going to solve India’s problems of unemployment, inflation, education, and health, again sparked a row. The state leadership asked surveyors to recommend candidates who would not switch over to the BJP.

How could anyone do this? How could pollsters find out what was on the minds of candidates or whether they could have a change of heart later? In the same state, when pollsters were tracking weekly vote share movements across seats, the Congress, a few days closer to the elections, began leading on a few seats where it had been trailing earlier. A detailed inquiry suggested that the BJP had put up weak candidates against these Congress nominees.

Before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, half a dozen Congress candidates pulled out after the party officially announced their names, damaging its chances even before the contest began. Internal squabbles are one of the key diseases plaguing the Congress party today. Many leaders are alleged to have close connections with rival parties and their loyalty is questionable. The recent instances indicate just as much.

The Congress is hoping to avoid such faux pas in the remaining phases. But the BJP would try to ensure that the pattern repeats as it helps build a narrative of which way the wind is blowing.