NEW DELHI: As the race for the Delhi polls heats up, Congress finds itself in a tough spot. The party that has not been in power in Delhi since 2013, is facing constant barbs from its INDIA bloc allies. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, which fought the Lok Sabha elections as allies, are now contesting the Delhi polls solo.
Joining the chorus, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday suggested that if the INDIA bloc was formed solely for the Lok Sabha elections, then it should be wound up. Abdullah’s National Conference and Congress fought and won the J&K elections as allies.
“As far as I remember, there was no time limit to the INDIA alliance. Unfortunately, no INDIA alliance meeting is being organised so there is no clarity about leadership, agenda, or our (INDIA bloc’s) existence… They should wind up the alliance in case it was just for the Parliament elections,” he said.
Also read: Omar Abdullah says no clarity in INDIA bloc amid Delhi tussle
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has also weighed in on the ongoing feud. Raut doubled down on his criticism of the grand old party for labeling AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal an “anti-national”.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP also backed up Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan’s remark, who had said that ‘Kejriwal will win Delhi assembly election’ but later clarified it was taken out of context.
“I agree with Prithviraj Chavan’s statement… In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party holds the strongest position and seems poised to win the elections decisively,” Raut said.
“It pains me, as well as Uddhav Thackeray … Congress and AAP, both are members of the INDIA bloc. While Congress is leading the INDIA bloc, condemning a leader like Arvind Kejriwal or branding him as anti-national through campaigns is something we cannot support,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.
Also read: Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan says his ‘Kejriwal will win Delhi assembly election’ remarks taken out of context
JDU which was a founding member of the alliance, but later returned to the BJP-led NDA, also jumped in the ongoing dispute within the INDIA bloc. Speaking about the party’s erstwhile alliance, JDU MP Sanjay Kumar Jha expressed his frustration claiming that the INDIA bloc leadership is too focused on one family and lacks a unified vision.
He said, “The name of the INDIA alliance was kept big, which Nitish Kumar also opposed, but there was never any uniformity in it. The people of the INDIA alliance cannot see beyond one family… There was no talk about what their vision or policy was for the country.”
The Congress party, which has been unrepresented in the Delhi Assembly since 2015, is fighting an uphill battle to reclaim its lost influence. While the party has made significant electoral promises, such as the ‘Pyaari Didi Yojana’ offering financial aid to women, its popularity remains in question.
The internal divisions within the INDIA alliance are likely to complicate Congress’s efforts to regain a foothold in the capital, especially as AAP strengthens its position with the backing of regional parties like Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.
Meanwhile, Congress’s internal squabbles have led to tensions with AAP, which has accused the grand-old party of helping the BJP by attacking Kejriwal.
With just weeks to go before the Delhi assembly elections on February 5, Congress faces a critical juncture. Its continued disunity, both within the party and within the INDIA bloc, may prove to be its undoing. Without clear leadership, the party risks further alienating its allies and losing any chance of a comeback in the national capital.
