A month prior to the assembly poll results, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed concerns on November 2, stating that the Congress’s focus on these elections was disrupting the momentum of the INDIA front. Nitish, an advocate for the Congress leading the Opposition alliance, sent a clear message. Despite Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly discussing this with Nitish, recent events underscore challenges in the grand old party’s political insights.
The BJP’s triumph in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh led a senior leader from Nitish’s JD(U) to express a knowing smile, suggesting it’s a beneficial wake-up call for the Congress. This outcome, he remarked, shakes the Congress from complacency and underscores the importance of collaborating with alliance partners rather than isolating them, especially in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
Leaders from both JD(U) and RJD, allies of Congress in Bihar, are asserting that the losses in state elections are solely the responsibility of the Congress. They argue that the Congress missed a significant opportunity by refusing collaboration and seat-sharing with other parties, hindering the potential for a robust Opposition against the BJP in the assembly elections. According to a senior JD(U) leader, it wasn’t just about seats but also about projecting a united front by involving top leaders from the INDIA bloc in the election campaign.
An evident illustration of the disparity between promises and actions is seen in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi borrowing Nitish’s concept of advocating caste surveys in states with upcoming elections. According to a JD(U) leader, had Congress collaborated with Nitish and actively involved him in the campaign, the caste survey narrative could have gained traction in the three states. However, the JD(U) leader notes that instead of including INDIA partners in the campaign, Congress leaders were inactive, weakening the alliance’s momentum since its formation in June. JD(U) and RJD leaders, requesting anonymity, claim that Congress avoided seat-sharing negotiations for the Lok Sabha polls, hoping for a strong performance in the assembly polls to gain leverage in future discussions with allies.
