New Delhi. The Congress may be fully focused on the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, but it is hoping for better results for itself in the counting of votes for the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The oldest party of the country is continuously struggling to preserve its shrinking mass base. In such a situation, if it gets victory in Himachal Pradesh and remains the main opposition party in Gujarat despite the presence of Aam Aadmi Party, then it will be a very pleasant situation for it.
Congress’s crisis may deepen if it fails to come to power in Himachal Pradesh and loses the position of the main opposition party in Gujarat. The Congress got a big blow on Wednesday when it got only nine seats in the Delhi Municipal Corporation elections. Aam Aadmi Party got 134 and Bharatiya Janata Party got 104 seats.
All eyes on Gujarat-Himachal
Exit polls shown by several news channels on Monday predicted a landslide victory for the BJP in Gujarat, while the result in Himachal could go in favor of either the BJP or the Congress. The best-case scenario for the Congress would be a majority in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly and respectable seats in the 182-member Gujarat assembly.
If the Congress wins in Himachal Pradesh, it will be a lifeline for it, because after a long time it will get the power of a state on its own merit. At present it has governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Former Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha says that the victory of Himachal Pradesh will be encouraging for the Congress. He said that the victory in Himachal would give hope to the Congress for 2023 and 2024, but a lot depends on whether the party somehow gets energized after the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
There is also a possibility in these elections that the Congress may win Himachal Pradesh, but face a heavy defeat in Gujarat. This situation will be a relief for him in the sense that despite focusing on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ he can win the election in a state, but a bad defeat in Gujarat can further weaken his role in the opposition camp. If the Congress loses in Himachal Pradesh and also loses badly in Gujarat, then it will be no less than a nightmare for it. In such a situation, the party will be engulfed in a serious crisis from where it will be very difficult for it to get out.