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Back-to-back electoral defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana have prompted calls for introspection and decisive action in the Congress party. Party leaders have vowed to course-correct under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, with Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urging the party chief to "crack the whip."
Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday, Mr Kharge issued a warning against infighting and anti-party remarks, stating that "tough decisions" were inevitable to fix accountability and identify the party's shortcomings after poll debacles.
Winning only 16 out of 288 assembly seats, Congress suffered one of its worst electoral setbacks in the state. Its allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)- the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) -fared no better, securing just 10 and 20 seats, respectively.
The CWC resolution described the Haryana results as "contrary to all expectations," alleging that electoral malpractices had influenced the outcome. Panel members are set to visit both states to conduct post-mortems on the defeats.
"Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?" Mr Kharge asked at the CWC meeting.
Mr Gandhi, agreeing with Mr Kharge, urged the party chief to "crack the whip" and that the Congress was an "organisation of resistance" and party leaders should have faith in it.
Mr Kharge also announced plans for comprehensive state-wise reviews to address organisational weaknesses and assess the losses in Maharashtra and Haryana. Internal committees are being constituted to visit Maharashtra and Haryana to speak to local leaders.
The CWC resolution raised serious concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission, alleging that free and fair elections-a cornerstone of democracy - were under threat.
"There is no reason to get disheartened or to panic. We must persevere with renewed determination and resolve. Unity and discipline are called for now more than ever before," the CWC resolution read. "The party must keep reinforcing its narrative. This includes caste census to ensure full social justice, removal of the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs, control of growing monopolies in the economy through political patronage and continuing price rise and growing unemployment."
The Congress announced plans for a nationwide movement in collaboration with INDIA bloc parties to address concerns over the electoral process. Jairam Ramesh, the party's general secretary in charge of communications, stated that rallies would soon be organised to mobilise public support.