Congress’ hat-trick of zeros in Delhi: Can the Grand Old Party ever make a comeback?

As the votes were counted in Delhi’s assembly elections, the political discourse revolved around two key players: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Conspicuously absent from any meaningful contest was the Congress, which once dominated Delhi’s political landscape but has now suffered a third consecutive electoral rout in the national capital.

Despite its efforts to regain lost ground, the grand old party appears to be staring at another political oblivion in a city where it ruled uninterrupted for 15 years from 1998 to 2013.

“It feels like the
BJP government will be formed. Our only disappointment is that we didn’t get the votes as per what we were expecting,” Congress candidate from New Delhi constituency, Sandeep Dikshit told PTI. The statement echoed the party’s continued struggle to find relevance in Delhi’s shifting political environment.

Congress’s decline in Delhi politics is closely linked to the emergence of AAP. Under Sheila Dikshit’s leadership, the party governed Delhi for three consecutive terms, overseeing significant infrastructure developments, including the Delhi Metro and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

However, the party’s credibility was severely hit by corruption scandals under the UPA government, allowing Arvind Kejriwal and his newly formed AAP to capitalise on the anti-incumbency wave.

The shift was dramatic. From securing 43 assembly seats in 2008, Congress was reduced to just eight in 2013, and by 2015, it failed to win a single seat.

The trend continued in 2020 and has repeated itself once again in this latest election.

Congress’s vote share has steadily declined, falling from 24.55 per cent in 2013 to just 4.26 per cent in 2020, and preliminary trends suggest little improvement this time around.

One of the key factors behind Congress’s continued poor performance in Delhi is its strained relationship with AAP, despite both being part of the INDIA opposition alliance.

While they contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together in Delhi, they fought the assembly elections separately. This division of votes arguably played into BJP’s hands, just as it did in Haryana.

“The early trends show a sharp competition. Had Congress and AAP been together, the results may have been different. The political opponent of AAP and Congress is BJP. Both of them fought to keep BJP from coming to power, but they fought individually. If they had been together then BJP’s defeat must have been confirmed in the first hour (of counting),” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut quoted by TOI, commented on the situation.

Similarly, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
criticised the opposition’s internal rift, sarcastically remarking, “Aur lado aapas mein (fight more),” as trends indicated a BJP victory.

Despite the heavy defeat, some within Congress see a silver lining. According to the Indian Express, Many party insiders believe that AAP’s potential weakening is the first step in Congress reclaiming its space in Delhi’s political arena.

The Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, went on the offensive against AAP during the campaign, highlighting corruption allegations against its leaders.

This approach suggests that Congress is positioning itself as the primary opposition force against BJP in the long run, rather than playing second fiddle to AAP.

However, whether this strategy will pay off remains uncertain. Congress’s failure to build a strong grassroots network post-2013, combined with voter preference for AAP’s welfare schemes, continues to be a major challenge.

While Congress announced initiatives such as a Rs. 2,500 monthly allowance for women and Rs. 25 lakh health insurance, they failed to make a significant electoral impact as both AAP and BJP also offered similar welfare programmes.

The road ahead for Congress

With another electoral wipeout in Delhi, Congress now faces questions about its viability in the capital’s political landscape. The immediate challenge lies in the upcoming Bihar elections, where its role within the opposition alliance will be scrutinised.

The party’s weakening presence could further strain its ties with allies, many of whom already view Congress as the weak link in opposition coalitions.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s continued dominance in Delhi, combined with AAP’s resilience, leaves Congress with little room to maneuver.

Unless the party undertakes a significant organisational overhaul and repositions itself effectively, its downward trajectory in Delhi may persist. For now, Congress remains a distant third in a city it once ruled, struggling to reclaim lost ground in an increasingly polarised political arena.