After dealing with a setback within the latest Haryana elections and being blamed by its INDIA bloc allies for its “overconfidence”, the Congress appears to be treading cautiously forward of the November 20 Maharashtra Meeting polls.
The Congress is trying to do a balancing act whereas looking for extra seats from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), whereas making certain that their Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance stays intact. On the similar time, it’s understanding methods to forestall the ticket allocation troubles that sealed its destiny within the Haryana polls.
The Congress has despatched out alerts that it doesn’t need to repeat the identical “errors” that it made in Haryana. Considered one of such indications got here when the All India Congress Committee (AICC) not too long ago appointed 11 senior observers throughout varied areas in Maharashtra together with two senior coordinators for the state.
Congress insiders say the get together doesn’t need to take any probabilities in a state the place it has a powerful Dalit-Muslim vote base and the place it carried out nicely within the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress then acquired 13 seats in Maharashtra — the very best amongst all of the contenders within the state — whereas the BJP and the Shiv Sena (UBT) received 9 seats every.
“Our issues in Maharashtra could also be completely different than Haryana as a result of we don’t have a tall chief like (Bhupinder) Hooda ji who was coping with the marketing campaign over there. However the situation of conserving allies joyful is essential whereas additionally remaining assertive over seat sharing,” mentioned a senior Congress chief who has been given the accountability to work in Maharashtra. His assertion assumes significance because the Sena (UBT) was among the many allies that mentioned the Congress have to be extra “accommodating”.
One other Congress chief mentioned the Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s workplace is conserving a detailed watch on the get together’s preparations for the Maharashtra polls.
“Throughout conferences, it has been mentioned that we can’t let issues go the way in which they did in Haryana. In Maharashtra, the AICC needs to be extra concerned in managing the state management and particularly the aspiring candidates,” mentioned a senior chief.
One other chief, who has already begun marketing campaign work in Maharashtra, mentioned the get together would comply with an “goal methodology for ticket allocation”.
“We is not going to let tickets be determined by affiliation with high leaders prefer it occurred in Haryana. The one and solely standards would be the winnability of a candidate. And those that can’t get tickets within the state will probably be managed by the highest AICC management,” mentioned the chief, including that the get together would make all makes an attempt to make sure that those that are denied tickets don’t flip rebels and contest as impartial candidates.
In Haryana, insurgent candidates who had been denied get together tickets and went on to contest as Independents impacted the Congress’s prospects adversely. The defeats of the get together’s official candidates in a number of seats had been additionally attributed to them as they ended up slicing their votes.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar — who’re leaders of the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP respectively — collectively introduced a report card of their Mahayuti coalition authorities.
After the Lok Sabha polls, when the Mahayuti tally was 17 seats as towards the MVA’s 30, the Shinde authorities introduced a monetary help scheme for ladies to consolidate the Mahayuti’s vote financial institution.
As a counter to this, the Congress can be trying to shortly launch its 5 ensures and manifesto within the state. There’s a feeling among the many get together high brass that its Haryana manifesto was launched later than it ought to have been, with lesser time to take the get together narrative to the individuals.
“The get together is contemplating 5 ensures for the Maharashtra individuals – the place we are going to make sure guarantees to the citizens like money funds to households, free bus journey for ladies, free 10 kg grains, cheaper energy, and an unemployment allowance. We may even have the promise for caste census in our manifesto,” mentioned an AICC chief.
A senior Congress chief mentioned that Gandhi doesn’t need to make ensures “sensible”.
“There’s some strain from allies too in regards to the ensures, however Rahul ji needs the ensures to be completely sensible so the get together doesn’t lose face in the long term. I feel a center floor will probably be reached over the ensures,” mentioned the chief, thought of near Gandhi.
The Congress’s ensures had first helped the get together style success within the Himachal Pradesh elections in 2022. An identical template was then replicated in Telangana (2023) and Karnataka (2023) — each states the place the get together ended up successful.
On the problem of caste calculations, the Congress doesn’t need to repeat in Mahrashtra its Harana mistake – relying an excessive amount of on one neighborhood (Jats) – which resulted in polarisation towards the neighborhood and consolidation of different OBC and Dalit communities in favour of the BJP.
“We’ll focus our marketing campaign on the Structure and caste census. That labored for us within the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and it’ll guarantee a win for us as soon as once more,” mentioned a Maharashtra Congress chief.
AICC secretary in command of Maharashtra Kunal Chaudhary instructed The Indian Specific that the elections within the state will probably be fought over “the ideology of Jyotirao Phule, Dr Ambedkar and Shahuji Maharaj as towards the ideology of Manusmriti being adopted by the BJP”.
“We’re combating these elections for Dalits, Backward Lessons and people who have been marginalised,” he mentioned.
Congress spokesperson Subharansh Kumar Rai mentioned the most important situation the Congress will depend on within the Maharashtra polls will probably be corruption and the “stolen mandate” by the Shinde authorities, referring to the chief’s June 2022 rise up that break up the Uddhav Thackeray-led undivided Shiv Sena.
