'Nothing Changes': Maharashtra Misadventure After Haryana Havoc Sparks Questions Inside Congress

Last Updated:November 24, 2024, 06:00 IST

There are some who complain that the campaign was too Rahul Gandhi-centric, that his interactions with women in Maharashtra or on pollution were good and popular but took away attention from the local leaders

Despite the attempt and desire to keep the campaign 'vocal for local', it was not so. Only Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who speaks Marathi, was seen as the right choice. But almost every decision was taken in Delhi. (File image/PTI)

With defeat comes the unravelling. Faced with two consecutive losses in key states, Haryana and Maharashtra, voices are being raised in the Congress against many top leaders and political strategists.

Some have questioned the free rein given and the political strategy being left in the hands of Sunil Kanugolu. Sunil was at one point with Jan Suraaj party leader and former political tactician Prashant Kishor but branched out to form his own firm.

Called the whiz kid of elections after his campaigns in Karnataka and Telangana were successful, Sunil was part of the inner circle of top Congress leaders. Shying away from the limelight and keeping a low profile, he has the ears of the Gandhis. Sunil has controlled the strategy, campaigns, ticket distribution to a certain extent, and of course the election manifesto. But now, he is in the line of fire, with some in the party asking why he was given such a free hand.

In the end, many of the suggestions by Sunil’s team were not heard. There was some frustration that a mere strategist could not help win elections, and the leaders too had to cooperate and work. News18 reached out to Sunil Kanugolu for a reaction, but his team said he had no comments to make.

One criticism is that the Congress should have been more aggressive over the Ladki Bahin Yojana and taken on the BJP over this. Many leaders on the ground also make the point that a similar Mahalakshmi scheme was not aggressively pushed on the ground.

But a few point out that it’s unfair to put the blame on Sunil alone. “Given the nature of the Congress, where there are many segments and too much democracy, no one is willing to pay heed to the discipline a political strategist wants to bring to the table," said an insider. The big question now is, will Sunil still call the shots in the 2025 Delhi polls?

Too centralised?

Despite the attempt and desire to keep the campaign “vocal for local", it was not so. Only Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who speaks Marathi, was seen as the right choice. But almost every decision was taken in Delhi.

Reports of local leaders being sidelined or snubbed came out. It was clear to see at, say, press conferences, where the Delhi leaders were made to sit in front while those from the state had to scramble for seats.

Overreliance on Rahul?

Now this is where there is some concern and discord. A couple of hours after results poured in, a Congress supporter with the X handle Amock announced that he would not steer anymore, saying that while he considers Rahul Gandhi to be his leader, he can no longer be dictated about what to post or work under an NGO-style of functioning. There are some who complain that the campaign was too Rahul Gandhi-centric, that his interactions with women in Maharashtra or on pollution were good and popular but took away attention from the local leaders.

Like the BJP, the Congress too adopted the state “by and for locals and local leadership" model, but the social media campaigns in and around Rahul Gandhi had two problems. One, they didn’t help the state voters become familiar with the Congress leaders of the state. Second, they needlessly made Rahul Gandi a stakeholder and inevitably one of those held responsible for the defeat, something that the top leadership didn’t want.

So what next? And who will be held accountable? Said one of those involved in the strategy, “In the Congress, every day is a new day. The past is forgotten and forgiven. So nothing changes."

News elections 'Nothing Changes': Maharashtra Misadventure After Haryana Havoc Sparks Questions Inside Congress