CONG CLUELESS, LEADERS ADRIFT

The Congress urgently needs to overhaul its election strategy after the BJP-led Mahayutis landslide victory in Maharashtra.

- Rashme Sehgal

Despite anti-incumbency against the ruling coalition, the MVA managed just 50 seats, while the Mahayuiti pocketed 231—a crushing blow that reflects strategic disarray within the Opposition.

The Congress contested 76 of Maharashtra's 288 assembly seats, with 36 in the crucial Vidarbha belt. Banking on farmer distress to sway voters, it failed to grasp that electoral success demands more than passive reliance on grievances. Instead of crafting a cohesive, voter-centric narrative, the Congress fell back on generic rhetoric about saving the Constitution and championing a caste census—themes embraced by Rahul Gandhi but disconnected from grassroots concerns. The result: A six per cent swing from Congress to the BJP.