Running around like headless chicken, Haryana Congress continues to remain shocked, clueless

Two months after it lost an election it was widely expected to win in Haryana, a shell-shocked Congress party remains in complete disarray, unable to even elect the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader.

As a result, there is no Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly. After its “shocking” defeat in the state elections — one of the closest polls in the state’s history, with a mere 0.85 per cent vote difference — the demoralised Congress leaders are in disbelief, blaming the Election Commission and EVMs for the party’s third successive defeat in the state elections rather than admitting their absent organisation and rampant infighting.

While the high court deliberates on 15 election petitions filed by Congress candidates alleging electoral malpractices by the BJP— a process that could take considerable time — the party remains far from addressing its internal issues.

Since its loss, the Congress MLAs are waiting to hear from the high command on the CLP leader, despite veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda staking his claim. Former Union minister Birender Singh, who switched from the BJP, has demanded the resignation of state president Udai Bhan. Meanwhile, Bhan, who lost his Hodal seat in the Assembly poll, and state in-charge Deepak Babaria countered each other on “poor” ticket distribution.

Adding to the chaos, Shamsher Singh Gogi from the Kumari Selja faction has accused the Hooda duo — Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender — of contributing to the party's defeat. Meanwhile, Hooda senior and his supporters continue to blame EVMs. The result? A blame game, with leaders scrambling to find scapegoats and knives drawn within the party.

Some leaders, eyeing the state president’s post, are choosing not to speak publicly. In a recent move emblematic of the Congress’s dysfunction, Udai Bhan reassigned district in-charges for seven districts, only for Babaria to overturn the decision the very next day.

Former Congress leader and current BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhry summed up the situation aptly: “Earlier they used to target me. Now, they are speaking against each other.”

The Congress had hoped to capitalise on anti-incumbency against the state government. It managed to win five of nine seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, running one seat in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as part of the INDIA bloc. Its campaign focused on protecting the Constitution and democracy while projecting Deepender Hooda and Kumari Selja. It also highlighted issues like the pitfalls of the Agniveer scheme and agrarian distress.

The INDIA bloc’s lead in the Lok Sabha elections was razor-thin, with just a 1.5 per cent margin — 47.61 per cent of votes compared to the BJP’s 46.11 per cent.

Buoyed by these results, the Congress doubled down on Hooda’s leadership. It adopted the same campaign strategy for the Assembly polls, sidelining Dalit leader Kumari Selja. Babaria’s announcement that Randeep Surjewala and Selja wouldn’t be fielded further alienated her, hinting that Hooda was being positioned as the CM face. Selja’s withdrawal from campaigning proved costly for the party.

Despite the momentum from the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was reduced to 37 Assembly seats — 11 fewer than the BJP. The vote share difference was a mere 0.85 per cent, with Congress securing 39.09 per cent compared to the BJP’s 39.94 per cent.

The BJP’s winning strategy combined upper-caste Hindus, OBCs, and a section of Dalits, while Congress’s reliance on a Jat-Dalit-Muslim-Sikh coalition failed to resonate widely.

The Congress has since formed committees to analyse its defeat, but even three months later, the exercise remains incomplete.

So, what’s next for the party?

Its stalwart, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is now 78. In five years, he will be 82. While there’s no official retirement age in politics, will the Congress nominate him as Leader of the Opposition, as he hopes, or will it make way for new leadership? Already, some leaders in the past have defected to the BJP.

As internal strife continues, the Congress’s ability to recover from three successive state poll defeats remains uncertain. With the local body elections on the horizon and no visible preparations underway, the party appears adrift.

The buck stops with the high command. Or does anyone in the Congress high command care enough about Haryana?