Congress’ Last Gambit: Cannibalising Its Partners In Opposition

Zero, zero, and zero—that’s the number of seats the Congress has won in the last three Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Delhi, a feat Prime Minister Narendra Modi mockingly called a “double hat-trick of zeros” in his victory speech after the Assembly elections.

But the humiliation doesn’t end there.

In the most recent polls, the party even lost its deposits in a staggering 67 out of 70 seats. Delhi is merely a symptom of a national malaise. Across the country, the Congress’s decline is a saga of desperation, made possible by the absence of any guiding philosophy and a ruthless hunger for power.

Stripped of any values or vision, the party has resorted to desperate measures to somehow get hold of power. From awkward attempts to embrace "soft Hindutva" to fueling social and caste divisions and now even undermining its own allies in the opposition, the Congress has tried it all—and failed spectacularly.

This article examines the three phases of the party’s downward spiral since 2014, exposing a party that runs without a guiding compass using any means necessary to return to power.

Phase 1 (2014 - 2019): The “Soft Hindutva” Debacle

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections were a political earthquake. Congress reduced to 44 seats—its worst tally ever—watched helplessly as the Narendra Modi-led NDA stormed to power by tapping into Hindu aspirations.

The goal? To position Congress as a “devout but liberal” Hindu party that could counter the BJP’s focus on long-neglected Hindus. But this was no ideological shift—it was a PR stunt. The Congress had no plan to reconcile its “secular” past with its Hindu-presenting present.

Voters saw through the facade and rejected this half-baked strategy, with the party managing to win only 54 seats in the 2019 General Elections. The message was clear: no one was buying the Congress’ newfound "Hinduness."

Phase 2 (2019 - 2024): Sowing Social Discord

With its Hindu masquerade exposed, the Congress shifted tactics: divide and polarize. Between 2019 and 2024, it stoked every possible social fissure.

It opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), backed violent farmer protests, and mindlessly pushed for a caste-based census—positioning itself as the main contender of the opposition by aligning with every anti-government faction.

However, Congress still lacked any coherent vision and was relying on a short-term ploy to gain power. The party’s leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, began framing every issue as a battle between "us vs. them," pitting communities against each other to create a coalition of the aggrieved.

While this strategy did yield some electoral gains in states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, it failed to dislodge the BJP at the national level with only 99 seats in the 2024 General Elections. Worse, it cemented Congress’ image as a party that is hell-bent on destroying the social fabric of the country for political gains.

Phase 3 (2024 Onwards): Eating its Own (Allies) to Survive

Desperate and cornered, the Congress has now turned on its own allies. It decided to weaken its rivals within the anti-BJP camp, hoping to emerge as the sole alternative to the ruling party.

As PM Modi claimed in his speech, “Congress has become a 'parjeevi party' (parasite party). It not only drowns itself but also its allies.”

In Delhi, the Congress refused to form an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), splitting the anti-BJP vote and helping the BJP win.

In Maharashtra, it weakened the Shiv Sena (UBT).

In Telangana, it displaced the BRS to grab power.

Now, the Congress has set its sights on the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, aiming to consolidate its own position in these states by eating into the vote share of these allies.

Akhilesh’s support to AAP rather than Congress in the Delhi Assembly Elections and Mamata’s refusal to cede ground to the Congress in West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections are clear signs that the party’s allies are no longer willing to become prey to its agenda.

The Congress’s attempts to cannibalise the opposition have only ended up further isolating it.

The Congress’ Path to Irrelevance

At the heart of the Congress’s electoral failures is a profound crisis of ideology and guiding philosophy. The BJP’s rise has been built on the ideological framework of Hindutva supplemented with development.

The Congress, by contrast, offers no compelling narrative to counter the BJP or any coherent vision for India’s future. It stands as a party with no philosophy beyond power and no vision beyond survival.

Its voters are disillusioned, its leadership remains out of touch with ground realities, and its allies are growing wary of its tactics. Congress cannot address its existential crisis with short-term opportunistic tactics without addressing these core issues.