After losing Haryana and Maharashtra, can Congress hope to win Delhi as BJP, AAP battle for power?

Following a series of electoral setbacks, Congress is now turning its focus to the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, hoping to reverse its fortunes in a state where it has been nearly absent as a significant political force.

After consecutive defeats in 2015 and 2020, when it failed to win a single seat in the Delhi assembly, the party’s presence has dwindled to a mere shadow of its former dominance.

In contrast to its glory days when Congress governed Delhi for 15 years, the party has struggled to maintain relevance. Its prospects look bleak as it faces a well-established Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has cornered much of the electoral space since its rise in 2013.

The year Congress lost Delhi

The trajectory of Congress’s decline started with AAP’s breakthrough victory in 2013, when it pushed Congress down to just eight seats. In the 2015 and 2020 elections, Congress was unable to even register on the board, securing no seats in the latter contest.Despite these setbacks, Congress is positioning itself for a potential comeback, with the hope that discontent with AAP’s governance might offer a chance for revival. The party is hoping for a marginal bounce in support, particularly in light of what it perceives as AAP’s failures.

“We are seeing public dissatisfaction with the current governance, and we expect to capitalize on that,” said Devender Yadav, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

As part of its efforts to re-engage voters, Congress has launched the “guarantees” campaign, aiming to appeal to various voter segments through welfare schemes and financial incentives.

Though the party’s manifesto is still in the works, Congress has already introduced its first major promise—the Pyaari Didi Yojana, which guarantees Rs 2,500 per month for eligible women in Delhi. Dipika Singh Pandey, Minister of Panchayati Raj in Jharkhand, emphasized Congress’s commitment to empowering women, citing successful schemes in other states such as Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.“Under our government, every woman in Delhi will receive Rs 2,500 per month under the Pyaari Didi Yojana,” promised Pandey at a press briefing. She also pointed to the previous Congress-led Ladli Yojana, which saw increased funding over the years under former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. In contrast, Pandey alleged that AAP had reduced the scheme’s budget, a move she criticized as detrimental to the welfare of poor families with girl children.

Congress: Can it revive back amidst troubles for AAP?

Congress’s campaign will focus on issues like pollution in the Yamuna, glitches in pension payments, lawlessness, and sanitation, areas where the party believes AAP has fallen short despite winning municipal elections in 2022. “AAP blamed the MCD for these issues, but after their victory in the civic polls, nothing has changed. Congress, however, has a history of delivering on its promises,” said Yadav.To strengthen its appeal, Congress has nominated a mix of experienced grassroots leaders for the 70-member assembly, including Yadav (Badli), Abhishek Dutt (Kasturba Nagar), Alka Lamba (Kalkaji), and Anil Kumar (Patparganj). However, the party has also faced some internal setbacks, with prominent members like Arvinder Singh Lovely and Raj Kumar Chauhan leaving for other parties. On the flip side, Congress has managed to gain key figures from AAP, including Haji Mohammad Ishraq, who once represented Seelampur for AAP, and former AAP minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who has joined the Congress fold.As Congress works to rebuild its ties with Dalit and minority communities, the party’s future in Delhi seems uncertain. Will it regain enough traction to become a political player again, or will it merely split the vote, potentially aiding the BJP’s prospects? The results of the upcoming election will be crucial in determining whether Congress can break out of its downward spiral or if it will remain a secondary force in the capital’s politics. (With inputs from ToI)