Blame game in Congress
POINTING FINGERS Leaders blame Maken for poll debacle, says he focused on problems instead of targeting BJP Grateful to the people of Delhi for the faith in BJP. I laud the hard work of Delhi BJP which made the MCD win possible I congratulate BJP on their victory in all 3 MCDs. My govt looks forward to working wid MCDs for the betterment of Delhi. I take responsibility for defeat and I am going to resign as Delhi Congress president. I will not take up any post in the party for one year. I think this election was the first step for Swaraj India (SI) . We have achieved an ethical and political victory in this election.
Despite its ‘best efforts’, the Congress failed to shore up its fortune in the Delhi municipal elections.
The party that had 83 councillors in the three corporations secured only 30 wards, failing to cash in on the decade-long antiincumbency against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that ruled the three civic bodies.
Taking moral responsibility for the defeat, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and the party’s in-charge of Delhi affairs PC Chacko announced their resignations on Wednesday afternoon. But that didn’t stop the blame game.
Party leaders blamed Maken for the debacle, saying he focused too much on providing solutions to problems in the three corporations instead of targeting the BJP directly for its poor show for two straight terms.
They said senior national leaders were involved in the manifesto but they did not forcefully campaign like the BJP leaders. “All their Delhi MPs and a number of cabinet ministers were on the roads holding roadshows and addressing public meetings,” a senior party leader said.
A senior party functionary said Maken ignored state leaders, causing embarrassment to the party, despite the fact the party had won the Punjab assembly elections and performed well in Goa and Manipur.
“One of the reasons for its failure is that the state leadership could not resolve internal fighting,” he said.
The departure of senior leader and four-time MLA Arvinder Singh ‘Lovely’, Delhi youth wing president Amit Malik, and former Delhi Commission of Women Barkha Singh worked against the party. The trio joined the BJP.
Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said Maken failed to reach out to the people and could not gauge the public mood. She said the party should have campaigned more aggressively in favour of their candidates.
Former Delhi minister in the Dikshit government Haroon Yusuf said the party should have countered the BJP’s campaign more assertively.
“The BJP had created a different kind of environment. We missed out local issues, which was a big mistake. If they were invoking Prime Minister to garner support, we should have raised national issues like unemployment or price rise,” he said.
Announcing his resignation, Maken said, “We are getting our votes back, but we had higher expectations. I could not meet my own expectations, so I am resigning. I will not take any post in the party for a year,” he said referring to the rise in Congress’ vote share in the municipal elections.
In the 2015 assembly elections, its vote share dipped to 9% while in the 2012 civic body polls, it was 30.54 %.
Maken said he won’t hold any party’s post for the next one year. “I will remain just a normal member,” said Maken.
Congress’ in-charge of Delhi affairs PC Chacko also resigned from his post owning responsibility for the dismal show. He said the party should introspect and redefine its strategy.
Savita Khatri, whose candidature was cancelled by the BJP days before the municipal polls, won from Narela ward by defeating her AAP rival Kavita by 4,480 votes.
Savita had invited the ire of BJP leadership when she asked former AAP minister Sandeep Kumar, sacked by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after a sex tape featuring him surfaced, to campaign for her. PTI