The Indian National Congress’s unabashed defence of its high command, that “State elections are not a referendum on national leadership”, is shocking. It is unfortunate that the 2014 general election is a distant memory for the party and that it continues to derail Parliament to infuse confidence in its dispirited party cadres. Two years have passed since it vacated office yet skeletons continue to tumble out of its cupboard. Unless there is an infusion of fresh ideas into its moribund units and a comprehensive plan for governance, the Congress will find it difficult to present itself as a credible national alternative in 2019.
Shreyans Jain,
New Delhi
The overall result of the five elections should stun the Congress. The drubbing it got in Assam and the victory of the LDF in Kerala should jolt the high command into action. Besides the crisis in leadership, the party has been playing a negative role in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to try to make capital out of trivial issues — the JNU controversy is one example — instead of highlighting major issues such as price rise, unemployment and corruption, are largely responsible for the party’s decline.
Buddhadev Nandi,
Bishnupur, West Bengal
It is strange that the Congress has lost despite a plethora of issues that have been presented to it on a platter. Two years of BJP rule is a pretty long time and there appears to be no headway, leave alone achievements. Inflation is rising, and despite three Budget presentations, there have been no attempts to stabilise hostile markets that are affecting the salaried class. Savings schemes no longer guarantee reassurance from what has been put aside for a rainy day. A smart Opposition should have seized the opportunity to have the BJP on the mat.
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
Media analyses have largely been about who won, who lost and why, and it is disappointing that the flawed first-past-the-post system, deciding electoral winners based on the maximum number of votes obtained, has not received the attention it deserves. When candidates get elected with less than 50 per cent of the votes cast, it effectively means that the majority of the voters do not endorse their victory. The unrepresentative nature of our democracy will become all the more glaring if we take into account the number of voters who abstained from exercising their franchise. The winner-take-all paradigm of elections has accentuated the adversarial nature of our polity. The system of proportional representation that is practised in several countries could be tried in India also. An unrepresentative democracy is fertile ground for social discontent.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Ups and downs in the fortunes of political parties are natural and desirable as a nation cannot depend upon only one-party rule. It is unfortunate that the BJP is already talking about a “Congress-mukt” Bharat. The Congress has to reinvent itself in the changed scenario given the resurgence of the BJP and strong regional leaders. Scouting around for good alliance partners could be one way to overcome its own weaknesses in States where regional parties are well placed. Bihar is a case in point. The question of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation can wait. It is better to maintain the status quo as far as leadership is concerned and work on core issues in order to regain people’s confidence.
D.B.N. Murthy,
Bengaluru
These are elections that will have a far-reaching impact on Indian politics. The Congress is failing as it is unable to connect with the people. In a situation of changing politics which has led to the rise of the BJP and the regional parties, the Congress needs to make it clear what it stands for and how it can be trusted. It should work towards inspiring the masses.
Ashutosh Sharma,
Chaujeetpur, Uttar Pradesh
It is sad that the Indian National Congress once associated with iconic Indian intellectuals and the freedom struggle, has crumbled in these elections. It is no exaggeration to say that it is viewed as an organisation opposed to necessary economic reforms, development and the overall progress of the nation. Serious attempts have to be made by the leadership to reach out to the ordinary citizens, counter the serious allegations of graft and build a new and credible leadership. Surrounded by rings of sycophants for decades, it must now break free and look at the reality.
Saikat Kumar Basu,
Lethbridge, Canada
The humiliating defeat suffered by the Congress in Assam indicates that it is not a vote for the BJP but a vote against the Congress and 15 years of unproductive rule. However, one hopes that the party recognises its role as an Opposition of substance. The BJP should also deliver the goods but without inflaming passions.
Shajid Khan,
Tangla, Assam
The analytical observation that the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has mastered the art — learnt from the Left — of managing elections is pertinent (Editorial, May 20). It also means the task of confronting the TMC has become all the more challenging. The success of the AIADMK has lessons for the national parties. In Assam, the BJP may have secured a foothold but it is being propped up by regional parties. In Puducherry, the Congress has not gained anything significant to draw consolation from its drubbing at the hustings in Kerala.
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N.K.Vijayan,
Kizhakkambalam, Kerala
The use of “money power” at the time of elections is not peculiar to Tamil Nadu, but is present across India. In order to curb the menace, the mere postponement of voting is inadequate. Every party should have account books and they must be subject to audit before and after elections. The accounting of the financial transactions of the parties done through “accrual basis” rather than “cash basis” will help. Parties should be brought under the RTI Act, 2005 for public scrutiny of fundraising and other expenses.
Satya Prakash Mishra,
Bhubaneswar
The BJP lost in four elections. Apart from Assam, the other results are nothing spectacular. It was the anti-incumbency factor of the three-term Congress government that was largely responsible for the BJP’s victory and not because of any great electoral platform that it formulated. What the BJP has to note is that regional parties are increasingly consolidating their position across India.
Srinivas Kamat,
Alto Santa Cruz, Goa
In Kerala, the BJP has wreaked havoc in Congress bastions in many districts, especially Thrissur. It s vote share has gone up threefold from that in the 2011 election mainly because of the erosion of Congress votes. Upper caste Hindus have formed a considerable votebank of the Congress but with the aggressive foray of the BJP/RSS into the political arena, they have moved largely on account of the erosion in probity in public life as far as the Congress is concerned. The only panacea for the Congress to regain its past glory is to formulate an improved political strategy and stick to the old tradition of upholding transparency and the finer points of public life.
O.D. Damodaran,
Thrissur
Be gracious
