Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: The war of words within the Congress intensified on Wednesday, a day after the party registered the lowest-ever percentage of vote share in Delhi elections, and the party warning its Delhi leaders that
“blame game is not appreciated in the party.”
First to quit was Subhash Chopra as Delhi Congress chief to be followed by party in-charge for Delhi P.C. Chacko.
The party reacted sternly with Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala warning that “blame game is not appreciated in the party.” He told party leaders to “introspect on your role before commenting on others and don’t cross the limit of discipline.”
“The party leaders should review their role during the elections and campaigning. They should also look at how they have performed,” said Surjewala.
Dismissing claims that the party withered during Shiela Dikshit’s time, Surjewala said under the chief ministership of Dikshit, Delhi had a golden period becuase she did commendable work for the city.
Reprimanding party leader Sharmistha Mukherjee, Surjewala said: “In democracy public is supreme if the public has given mandate to Kejriwal, then we are bound to accept the mandate and will work as responsible opposition.”
Earlier in the day, Mukherjee had lashed out at her senior party colleague P. Chidambaram for gloating over Aam Aadmi Party’s victory.
Mukherjee, who is the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, said: “With due respect sir, just want to know — has Congress outsourced the task of defeating BJP to state parties?
“If not, then why are we gloating over AAP victory rather than being concerned about our drubbing? And if ‘yes’, then we (state party units) might as well close shop.”
Her remarks were in response to the former Finance Minister’s taunt at the BJP for its defeat, saying AAP won and the “bluff and bluster” lost.
In a tweet, Chidambaram said, “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarising, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP.
On Tuesday, Mukherjee, who had contested unsuccessfully from Greater Kailash Assembly seat in the 2015 polls, also said “enough of intropsection” and that “time for action is now”.
She blamed the lack of strategy and unity, delay in decision-making at the top level and at the state level for the continuous party debacle.
The party, which got 22 per cent votes in the Lok Sabha polls held last year, ended up with less than 5 per cent vote share in the Delhi assembly polls. Congress leaders have blamed excessive polarisation among voters in which the party could not become a choice of any side.
63 Congress candidates lose deposit; Delhi chief Subhash Chopra offers to resign over election debacle
Results for assembly polls declared on Tuesday showed that the Congress party drew a blank, repeating its 2015 performance. The party got less than 5 per cent votes, and 63 of its candidates losing their deposits.
The Congress contested the polls this time in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, fighting on 66 seats and leaving four for its ally. However, only three of its candidates—Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar, Devender Yadav from Badli and Abhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar—could save their deposits.
The security deposit of a candidate is forfeited if he/she fails to secure one-sixth of the total valid votes cast in a constituency.
Most Congress candidates got less than five per cent of the total votes polled in their respective constituencies.
Delhi Congress chief Shubhash Chopra’s daughter Shivani Chopra, who was the party candidate from Kalkaji, also could not save her deposit.
Former Delhi Assembly speaker Yoganand Shastri’s daughter, Priyanka Singh, also forfeited her deposit. The vice-president of Delhi Mahila Congress got only 3.6 per cent votes.
The party’s campaign committee chairman and former cricketer Kirti Azad’s wife, Poonam Azad, lost badly and stood fourth, polling only 2,604 (2.23 per cent) votes.
Devender Yadav, the party’s candidate from the Badli seat, polled 19.66 per cent votes, while Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar got 19.14 per cent.
The Congress’ Kasturba Nagar candidate, Abhishek Dutt, got 21.42 per cent votes and stood a distant third.
The Congress was expected to do good in the minority-dominated seats due to its vehement criticism of the government over the amended citizenship law and police highhandedness at Jamia Millia. However, its candidates lost deposits in all such constituencies too.
Congress candidate from Ballimaran and former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf could garner a paltry 4.73 per cent votes.
Alka Lamba, the outgoing MLA who switched to the Congress last year, could garner only 5.03 per cent votes, while the youngest candidate this election and former DUSU president, Rocky Tuseed, polled 3.8 per cent votes.
With the Congress receiving 22.46 per cent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, pushing the Aam Aadmi Party to the third spot, many hoped it would improve its performance in the Assembly elections.
However, the party’s vote percentage dropped from 9.7 per cent in 2015 to 4.2 per cent this time. In the 2013 Assembly elections, it had polled 24.55 per cent votes.
Sheila Dikshit’s son, Sandeep Dikshit, said the results did not surprise him and internal politics kept the party from doing good.
Delhi Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee said in a tweet, “We are again decimated in Delhi. Enough of introspection, time for action now. Inordinate delay in decision making at the top, lack of strategy and unity at state level, demotivated workers, no grassroots connect-all are factors. Being part of the system, I too take my share of responsibility.”
Her colleague Jaiveer Shergill suggested that the Congress should avoid things like justifying defeat, finding happiness in the BJP’s defeat and telling itself that wins and losses are cyclic in elections.
A few Congress leaders also acknowledged that the party did not go full throttle into campaigning.
Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigned for party candidates just two-three days ahead of the elections.
The party candidates lost deposits in all the seats where the Gandhis had addressed rallies— Jangpura, Sangam Vihar, Chandni Chowk and Kondli.
