The names Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi are synonymous with Indian independence and the nation’s early improvement. But with India beginning to head to the polls on April 19, we ask what occurred to their once-dominant Indian National Congress Party.

A titan in Indian politics for over 50 years after independence in 1947, as we speak’s Congress is struggling for relevancy. If it doesn’t discover a approach to resonate with the most important voting bloc, these aged 18-35, on the earth’s fifth-largest financial system – it would stand no probability of ever going through down Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Heyday and downfall

Founded in 1885, Congress leaders like Mahatma and Indira Gandhi, Nehru, and Manmohan Singh performed pivotal roles in campaigning for independence and later shaping India’s political and financial place. While Nehru, the primary prime minister, touted secularism, his successor and daughter, Gandhi, led anti-poverty campaigns throughout her tenure. More just lately, Singh performed a key function in making India the second fastest-growing financial system by uplifting the nation’s GDP to 9% in 2007.

But voters are likely to bitter on these in energy throughout financial downturns, and a mixture of excessive inflation and corruption scandals led to Congress’ worst electoral efficiency within the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The celebration, headed by the inexperienced Rahul Gandhi, received simply 44 of 543 seats, creating extra space for the BJP.

Congress did solely barely higher within the 2019 elections, profitable 52 seats, main Gandhi to stop the celebration presidency. His mom and probably the most influential leaders of Congress who performed an important function within the 2004 election victory, Sonia Gandhi, as soon as once more took the reins as interim president for 3 years. Today, Congress is led by Mallikarjun Kharge, and it’s in energy in simply three of 28 states: Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.

Lackluster management

Congress celebration leaders are struggling to attach with their base, and efforts to harm the BJP with slogans like “the watchman is a thief” will not be touchdown with voters. Initiatives like Rahul Gandhi’s bold Bharat Jodo Yatra and Nyay Yatra mass marches in 2022 and 2024 have failed to achieve a lot steam.

Congress additionally “faces issues related to a deteriorating organizational structure and internal factionalism,” says Rahul Bhatia, Eurasia Group’s South Asia analyst.

As just lately as final month, inner discord was uncovered in the course of the celebration’s choice of electoral candidates to signify the southern state of Telangana when complaints accused the screening committee of sending the candidate checklist with out consulting celebration ministers. An identical case was additionally reported in Chandigarh.

“While the party has taken measures to remedy some of these [problems] in the last two years, it still hasn’t been able to articulate a clear political narrative that captures the imagination of Indian voters like Modi has,” says Bhatia.

Trying to construct a worthy opposition

In a daring try to problem the BJP’s dominance with a stronger opposition, Congress pushed to create theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance bloc, aka INDIA, in 2023, initially comprising 41 events. At first, it seemed promising, however the departure of key players like Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee in January has left INDIA in disarray, casting doubts on its efficacy forward of the election. In the unlikely occasion INDIA wins, Congress has vowed to boost the 50% reservation quota for nationally acknowledged marginal communities (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes) to get them extra illustration in academic institutes and employment.

But INDIA is barely expected to win 94 seats, with Congress getting 38, whereas the BJP is predicted to snag 399 constituencies. To safe a majority, a celebration or a coalition wants 272 seats.

Modi, 73, is broadly in style with anapproval rating as high as 75%. “Under Modi, the BJP is a formidable electoral machine, and no one has been able to consolidate the Hindu vote as well as Modi has, drawing in lower middle castes, upper castes, and low-income groups,” says Bhatia.

For now, Congress “is not fighting to win the upcoming elections but rather to limit Modi’s majority,” he provides. The celebration is anticipated to retain roughly 20% of the vote and probably win some state elections.

Should the BJP’s vote share fall, the INC might orchestrate a comeback on the nationwide degree. “The party is by no means finished,” says Bhatia.

But to get again to the ability of its heyday, Congress would wish to undergo a whole inner overhaul, specialists say. And the quick drawback, says Bhatia, is that Congress “is not ready to accept a complete restructuring, nor will it seek leadership beyond the Gandhi family.”