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What has happened to the country’s grand old party Congress? Why is its ship sinking?I recently attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Maharashtra. The event was jam-packed. Alongside industry and film personalities, a large number of common people and enthusiastic ‘Ladki Bahins’ were present. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah were there to encourage the new government, along with defence minister Rajnath Singh, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, several other Union ministers, 19 chief ministers and prominent leaders from allied parties. This high-profile presence conveyed a strong message of unity and organisational capability.As I left the stage, various analyses occupied my mind. I recalled how Congress and its allies’ overconfidence after their success in the Lok Sabha elections led to inflated expectations. Before the Assembly election results, Congress leaders appeared overly optimistic, indulging in wishful thinking. However, when the results came, they were left shaken. For the first time in history, Congress failed to win a single seat in 21 out of Maharashtra’s 36 districts. Even regions like Solapur, Kolhapur, Satara and Pune -- traditionally considered Congress and NCP strongholds -- slipped out of their grasp. Despite bold claims of a miracle in Marathwada and Vidarbha, nothing materialised. When Congress leaders were boasting, a senior BJP leader told me that if Vidarbha and Marathwada supported them, the BJP would certainly form the government -- and that’s exactly what happened.Congress lacked organisational strength, and the magic of leaders like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray vanished too. Several senior Congress leaders suffered defeats, with state president Nana Patole barely managing to save his seat. In response, Congress blamed Mahayuti’s victory on EVM manipulation. Tesla’s Elon Musk added fuel to the fire by claiming tampering was possible. Indeed, in technology, everything is possible and impossible too. Let someone prove that through this someone can win and someone can be defeated! Anything can be said for argument’s sake like some leaders’ speculation that “they gave us Jammu and Kashmir and kept Haryana for themselves. Similarly, they conceded Jharkhand and kept Maharashtra for themselves”. One person pointed out to me that if EVM tampering allegations were true, how did Priyanka Gandhi secure her seat with a massive margin? A Congress member replied that this has to be done to show one’s own innocence.If Congressmen continued with such an attitude, Congress will never recover from its current state. Moreover, Ramesh Chennithala came to Maharashtra to manage the Assembly poll process quite late. Though Ramesh Chennithala tried to energise the party workers and fielded strong candidates, one individual cannot revive a party whose grassroots organisation has disintegrated. Yet the hard work he put in should be appreciated. Even in this political storm, a few leaders like Anil alias Balasaheb Mangulkar (Yavatmal) and Vikas Thakre (Nagpur) managed to win, though their victories could have been bigger with organisational support. Caste politics and the lack of grassroots mobilisation significantly hurt Congress.The Mahayuti, on the other hand, was faced with a plethora of problems. Farmers were angry over soybean and cotton prices. It had to deal with Maratha agitation too, but all these problems vanished in the Hindutva wave. The BJP called for a “dharma yudh of votes” to counter calls for “vote jihad”. The slogans of “Ek hai toh safe hai”, “Batenge toh katenge” caught the imagination of the electorate. Another factor that gained traction was that, ‘if Muslims and Dalits can unite, why can’t Hindus?’ The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates mobilised over 90,000 workers who held more than 22,000 meetings across villages to ensure BJP’s victory. Despite these efforts, no one expected the scale of the BJP’s triumph -- except one person: Devendra Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis. He confidently predicted that BJP will win 135 seats, and the party indeed won 132. Shiv Sena secured 57 seats and NCP got 41. This success is attributed to Amit Shah’s political acumen, Fadnavis’ hard work, Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s organisational skills, Eknath Shinde’s generosity and initiatives like the “Ladki Bahin” scheme. Ajit Pawar too was able to convey the message: Trust me, I am the future.Amid all this, a new hope has emerged in the form of Deva Bhau. He has assumed the office as chief minister. He has two strong allies in Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. His first term saw remarkable achievements like the Samruddhi Mahamarg, Coastal Road, Atal Setu, Metro projects and the Jal Shivar Yojana which ensured water sufficiency in villages. Yet, much remains to be done, particularly in backward regions like Vidarbha, which needs an automobile industry boost and other developmental projects. Devendra Fadnavis has to live up to the faith and hope people have pinned on him.To Congress leaders, I would say: It’s not enough to look to the Gandhi family for everything. How long can Congress survive solely on Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s efforts? The Gandhi family is undoubtedly the powerhouse of the party, but Congressmen would have to light their own lamps. The worrying decline of Congress is a concern for democracy, which thrives with a strong opposition. While there may be no opposition leader this time, I find solace in Devendra Fadnavis’ statement: “We will not work with a spirit of vengeance but with the vision to transform Maharashtra.” Best wishes to Fadnavis and his team!The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.

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