While Gandhi has, at least in principle, offered to resign, taking the responsibility of the near-complete rout to PM Narendra Modi-led BJP, the Congress, as usual, has decided to lay the blame on lesser beings of the party
New Delhi: From 44 to 52, the Congress tally in Lok Sabha elections 2019 has improved, but with ignominy and an impending existential question as president Rahul Gandhi led a full-fledged high voltage yet a damp squib campaign.
While Gandhi has, at least in principle, offered to resign, taking the responsibility of the near-complete rout to PM Narendra Modi-led BJP, the Congress, as usual, has decided to lay the blame on lesser beings of the party.
MyNation dives into the save-Rahul Gandhi measures.
1. Three state heads of the party have tendered their resignation for the dismal performances in their states. First to resign was Uttar Pradesh (UP) Congress chief and former actor Raj Babbar. He left on Friday. Incidentally, the Congress had to see its biggest defeat in the state, where it is now down to just one seat, Sonia Gandhi’s Rae Bareilly. Rahul Gandhi suffered a historic and embarrassing loss in the traditional stronghold of Amethi.
2. Amethi’s district Congress president Yogendra Misra also resigned, taking responsibility for having failed to deliver the seat for the party chief.
3. The party’s Karnataka campaign chief HK Patil also resigned. The party was reduced to a single seat out of 28 as the BJP bagged 25. Its coalition partner in state government, JD (S) also got just one seat. The Congress last times in 2014 had nine seats.
4. The next resignation was that of Odisha chief Niranjan Patnaik. The party here too was reduced to just one seat. In the concurrently held assembly elections, the party bagged only 9 seats whereas the BJP bagged 23 assembly seats. The BJP bettered its tally from 2014 to bag 8 Lok Sabha seats this time.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge could not retain his own Gulbarga seat, while former PM and JD (S) patriarch Deve Gowda lost his Tumkur.
5. For the Rajasthan debacle, where the BJP swept to bag all the seats in the state just months after Congress captured power in assembly elections, senior leaders blamed infighting and not the national leadership. Many blamed chief minister Ashok Gehlot of having devoted most of his time to campaign for his son in Jodhpur. Blaming the state leadership, they said candidates had to manage booths on their own.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi is not responsible for blunder of Rahul Gandhi
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