Despondent Cong stares at defeat

Greatest blow for Congress led UPa could be Delhi where the party has been in power for three terms, unsettled by debutant AAp and resurgent BJP

A day after exit polls predicted a near-washout for the Congress in the Assembly elections, possibly except Mizoram and Chhattisgarh, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is grappling with the prospect of losing major states before the 2014 general elections.

The greatest blow for the Congress could be Delhi, where the party —  which has been in power for three terms — was unsettled by debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Although Congress leaders put up a brave front on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament scoffing at the exit poll predictions, the government was keen on keeping the focus on legislative business rather than on possible electoral outcomes.

Significantly, these elections were held under the leadership of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who personally monitored ticket distribution and selected election managers. However, internally, the blame for the poor show was being put on the performance of the Sheila Dikshit and the UPA-II governments.

In Parliament, the mood in the Congress camp was far from euphoric, with ministers attacking the “poor track record” of exit polls. Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, is learnt to have admitted to the party's possible rout. The anti-corruption sentiment whipped up initially by Anna Hazare’s movement and later cashed in on by Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, has played a critical role in influencing the decision of first-time voters and the middle class, say Congress leaders.

A Congress leader said, “The public anger against tainted UPA-II government coupled with anti-incumbency of the Sheila Dikshit government is proving to be costly for the Delhi government." This leader even apprehended that this disaffection might reflect in the 2014 general elections.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the government’s focus was on the Lok Pal Bill, and dismissed the importance being given to the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill in the wake of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, maintaining that discussions were still on with the states.

Congress spokesperson Bhakt Charan Das unwittingly admitted that “we are confident of (forming the government) in Chhattisgarh.” A fact that was borne out by Rahul Gandhi's late afternoon meeting with top leaders from Chhattisgarh, including Motilal Vora and Ajit Jogi. Sources say he was taking feedback on leadership possibilities in the state should the Congress form the government in the state.

Congress MPs from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh privately conceded things were “out of their hands”. “Had Jyotiraditya Scindia been sent a month or two earlier, he could have brought in some decisive changes,” said a party MP. As for Rajasthan, the public mood against Ashok Gehlot was so severe that even his arch rival C P Joshi’s coming on board as campaign chief could do little to change the party's poll prospects.

What disgruntled leaders have been whispering are the "revolutionary" tactics adopted at the behest of Gandhi in these Assembly polls - casting aside time-tested "winnability" factors. Detailed biodata of candidates, senior leaders giving in writing that they guaranteed the victory of those that they were recommending, say insiders, have backfired again and again (like it did in Uttar Pradesh).

The Congress' brass held a core group meeting in the morning where Telanagana and other issues were discussed. A tightlipped Ahmed Patel rushed out of the meeting without interacting with the waiting mediapersons, so did Finance Minister P Chidamabaram.

The Congress's  predicament was summed up by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on his blog: "Congress appears to be completely demoralised. In the last phase of the elections, Congress leaders almost abandoned the election campaign for Delhi Assembly. Sheila Dikshit virtually fought all alone... If this is the demoralisation that the exit polls give to the Congress, I wonder what would happen when the actual results come in."