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Cong blames absence of alliance for poor show

NEW DELHI: The Congress’ electoral slide that began with the Lok Sabha elections this May continued today with the party losing governments in both Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir and finishing fourth behind the regional players in both states.

Cong blames absence of alliance for poor show

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad during a dinner at Parliament Library Building in New Delhi on Monday. PTI



Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Dec 23

The Congress’ electoral slide that began with the Lok Sabha elections this May continued today with the party losing governments in both Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir and finishing fourth behind the regional players in both states. Conceding defeat, the party described its Jharkhand loss as “disappointing” while terming a 12 seat performance in Jammu and Kashmir as “much better than exit polls predictions”.

In Jharkhand, the Congress blamed the absence of a secular alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha for the BJP’s huge win. Party’s general secretary for the state BK Hariprasad said, “A non-BJP secular alliance would have been much better.”

In Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress refused to acknowledge its loss as “disappointing” with party veteran and ex-state CM Ghulam Nabi Azad openly offering to back the PDP, the single largest party in today’s results, for government formation.

“I would be shocked if the PDP accepts the support of communal forces (read the BJP) for Government formation in J&K. We are open to discussions with PDP. But they would have to take the call,” Azad, chairman of Congress campaign committee for J&K polls, said.

Asked if the Congress was anguished about finishing fourth behind the PDP, BJP and NC in Jammu and Kashmir, party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar appeared in denial and said, “We have done better than expected. We have always been an alliance partner in the state.” He did not concede to the fact that from a king-making position, the Congress is down to the last player in the field.

In J&K, Congress’ vote share has fallen by 1.93 per cent — from 19.93 pc in 2008 elections to 18 per cent today and it had lost five seats winning 12 against 17 in the previous elections. Even the son of state Congress president Saifuddin Soz has lost from Baramulla.

That apart, the Congress privately said it had done well enough given anti-incumbency against the coalition government in the state and it was again in a position to back a PDP government. “The PDP has to decide,” said Azad.

About Jharkhand, however, the party appeared worried though here too it attempted to camoflauge its wounds behind what it described as the “waning magic of PM Narendra Modi.” “The BJP’s Mission 44 has failed in J&K and in Jharkhand it has managed just 37 seats whereas it had leads in 58 in the May Lok Sabha elections. This shows the Modi influence is declining,” said Ajoy Kumar.

Asked what the Congress thought of its own dismal showing in Jharkhand, Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Jamshedpur said, “A grand alliance of secular forces was missing which is why the BJP cruised to victory.”

Congress leaders admitted it was a tactical mistake to end the alliance with JMM, party’s coalition partner in the incumbent state government. The JMM has, in fact, improved its performance today adding one seat against 2009 elections while the Congress has lost eight seats settling at six compared to 14 in the previous polls.

The greatest setback for the Congress is Jharkhand is the decline in its vote share by 11.03 per cent as compared to 2009 polls when it garnered 21.43 pc votes. Today it managed just 10.4 per cent. “The BJP’s vote share is also down by around 13 per cent as against the Lok Sabha polls,” Ajoy Kumar said refusing to comment on the fact that the BJP had polled just 24.4 per cent of the votes in the 2009 Jharkhand polls as against 31.3 per cent today – a gain of around 7 per cent.

“We will have to return to the drawing board and reconnect with people,” Kumar lated confessed. Asked who was responsible for failing to strike an alliance with the JMM, and whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi or party vice-president Rahul Gandhi must take the blame, party leaders privately said state leaders of Jharkhand prevailed on the high command against the alliance and convinced them that the go-alone strategy would work.

State general secretary BK Hariprasad was, however, all along for not just an alliance with the JMM but a grand alliance with JMM, JDU and RJD in the state.

 

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