The Congress’ failure to open its account in Delhi for the third consecutive time has left the party leaders disappointed in Himachal, which is the only state in north India where it is in power.
For state Congress president Pratibha Singh, the drubbing is not only demoralising but also a wake-up call for the party.
“The election result is really disappointing for the party. It’s also a wake-up call for us. The party will have to analyse and think hard how to fight and win the next election,” she said.
While admitting that the embarrassing loss was a bitter pill to swallow, Pratibha said that the party leaders had worked hard in the Delhi elections.
“We were hoping that people will look at history as well. The Congress government under Sheila Dikshit had done really well in Delhi, but it seems with the passage of time, people have forgotten her good work. The central leadership will look hard into the reasons behind the defeat,” she added.
Another Congress leader said that the biggest reason for the party’s repeated poor showing in Delhi was the absence of a strong organisation on the ground.
Incidentally, the party was without an organisation in the state as well – it’s been more than three months since the entire Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), up to the block level, was dissolved. Only HPCC president Pratibha Singh had been asked to continue.
Some leaders are not only resenting the delay but are also not happy with the central leadership for sending 16 observers from other states to facilitate the reconstitution of the HPCC.
“How credible their feedback can be when they have little knowledge about the ground reality at the district and block levels,” he said.
Meanwhile, there’s no clarity yet whether Pratibha will continue as HPCC president or someone else will step in.
“Coordination between the party and the organisation is a must. The organisation carries the policies and programmes of the government to the people, and the government should hear what the organisation says. Only then workers remain enthused and party wins elections,” the leader said.
Asked about the delay in the reconstitution of the HPCC, Pratibha exuded confidence that it would be reconstituted shortly.
“Our leaders were busy with the Delhi elections. Now, we will discuss with them how to strengthen the organisation in the state,” she said. With the Congress facing electoral debacle, the BJP claims to have made 18 lakh new members.