when-will-congress-begin-its-2024-election-campaign

The last time the leaders of the “principal” opposition party, as the Congress likes to describe itself, were seen in public was during the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) rally in Delhi that was held to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. At best it was a joint effort, if not that of the Aam Aadmi Party alone. 

 

They were all there, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, besides other second-rung leaders.

 

The Congress party is yet to start its campaign for the 2024 General Elections. Compared to that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the regional parties like the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the DMK in Tamil Nadu, YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh, and Biju Janata Dal in Odisha, just to name a few, have already launched their full-fledged campaigns.

 

The Bharatiya Janata Party has already gone into campaign mode. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and the BJP president JP Nadda have already hit the ground addressing at least two or three public rallies every day in different parts of the country. This is besides the local state leaders’, like Chief Ministers, campaigns.

 

Congress leaders, particularly the president Mallikarjun Kharge have often been taunting Prime Minister Modi that he is always in a campaign mode and that he even campaigns for people in local bodies’ elections. But that is the strength of the BJP. Like the political strategist Prashant Kishor says the biggest strength of the BJP is that it does not let down its guard till the last moment, even when the party is very much confident of victory, the Congress needs to learn some lessons.

 

The Congress must realize that it is pitted against an aggressive and powerful rival, the BJP. The party has already started an intense and aggressive campaign. Just staying quiet, crying vendetta and manipulations and blaming it on the EVM will not lead the party to anywhere close to victory. It is like a “bad workman blaming his tools”.

 

Not just the government, the Congress has been blaming everyone from the media to the Election Commission and even suggesting that the judiciary was being pressurized for “fixing the elections” as Rahul Gandhi said during the INDIA rally in Delhi.

 

He compared “fixing” of elections with “match-fixing” in cricket, which he said is done by appointing umpires of choice, by which he meant Election Commissioners, “buying the players”, meaning luring the legislators, leaders and MPs or intimidating the captain, meaning “misuse” of enforcement agencies.

 

This may sound like an interesting parallel, but the elections are not like cricket matches. Even, presuming that these are like cricket matches, one needs to play the game on the ground and not shout from the stands and cry foul. 

 

The first round of elections is just about two weeks away and the Congress appears in no hurry to launch its campaign. Its star campaigns like Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others should have been addressing at least 3-4 rallies in a day, like their rivals in BJP or TMC. But they are yet to make a beginning. 

 

When you don’t start on time, you are certain to lose precious time and provide an advantage to your rivals. Blaming it on other things like EVM manipulations, Election Commission partiality, and lack of funds may be good ‘self-consolation’, but that does not make you win the game.