Bihar Election 2020 | Result reignites dissent in Congress, questions raised about Gandhi family’s role: Report

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at a party briefing (File image: Reuters)

The Indian National Congress has come under heavy criticism for, what critics say, was an under-performance that dragged the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election.

The Congress, with a strike rate of about 27 percent, won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested. The MGB’s average strike rate was 45 percent. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which leads the opposition alliance, picked up 75 seats with a strike rate of 52 percent. Even the smaller Left parties had a strike rate of 55 percent – only second to that of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the election.

Political observers suggest that the MGB – which fell just 12 seats short of the majority mark – could have won the election had Congress managed to perform as good as its partners.

According to a report by NDTV, Congress leaders are officially citing "bad ticket distribution” and the success of Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) as the reasons for its performance.

Others in the party have made the argument that the Congress was given many constituencies it had never contested before. "The Congress also contested in 26 seats which have never been won by any alliance partner for the last three decades," a party leader, who was not named, told NDTV.

But the dissenting voices in the party are pinning the blame on mismanagement. Some of them told the news channel that “a whole bunch of incompetent personnel were sent from New Delhi to manage affairs, sidelining the leaders in the Bihar Congress.” Another dissenting group said that the loss in Bihar must be seen as part of a pattern formed by poor performances in other states which say by-elections. Moneycontrol could not verify the report.

Some have pointed out that Rahul Gandhi was the only senior party leader who campaigned in Bihar. In his election rallies, Gandhi was seen only attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi – a strategy that has not worked in the past. On the other hand, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav focused on local topics such as jobs and corruption.

This comes in the backdrop of the process of party’s internal elections having started. Sonia Gandhi had taken over as Congress’ interim president after Rahul Gandhi quit as the party chief in May 2019 following the rout it faced in the general election. Her tenure as the party chief ended on August 10, but senior party leaders insisted her to continue until an election is held to elect a new president.

In August, Sonia Gandhi had offered to step down following a letter from 23 top leaders emerged calling for a “full time, visible leadership”.

A section of leaders, who including veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal, had said there was "uncertainty" and "drift" in the party and called for an "honest introspection".