The steady decline of Congress’s electoral fortunes over the last decade is distressing. It has not made the mark it should have in three consecutive general elections and failed to regain states that were once its strongholds. A few in the long list are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. In Kerala, Congress’s loss marked the end of a decades-long trend of the incumbent being voted out.Haryana is a case study of how not to win an election. In 2024, the High Command failed to take any corrective steps despite the 2019 debacle. Parties lose elections by fighting. Congress loses elections by infighting.AdvertisementIt is not that there have been no wins. However, long-term gains that should have accrued are frittered away because of a myopic vision. Those who contribute to wins are neither rewarded nor recognised — favouritism rules the roost. Committees are formed, but little changes. All those who care can do is lament, as with this column.I have been with the Congress for 18 years, and I was a lateral entry into the party. I wanted to contribute to nation-building. I sacrificed a career despite belonging to a middle-class family with no “pedigree”, money or muscle power. My original motivation is as strong as ever. However, over the years, I have witnessed how sycophancy and mediocrity in the prevailing system are steadily pushing merit to the sidelines. Big names and small men conspire to keep providing the electoral platform to their families, cronies and followers. I have borne the brunt of this at least twice. This, after listening to encouraging, empty words about giving chances to fresh faces, educated persons with no criminal background, persons with organisational commitment who are devoted to the party. This attitude is accompanied by a lack of performance on the ground.Maharashtra has been in the news recently. Having been the Congress Secretary in charge of the state for six years, and as an observer of Maharashtra politics for more than 15 years, I could not stop myself from writing this column, which is not a memoir but an observation.AdvertisementAs against the national trend, the Congress has been ascendant in Maharashtra. The 2019 Assembly elections gave us 44 seats with a vote share of 15.87 per cent. This came as a surprise to people outside the party as well as political pundits within the Congress who were predicting a rout and allocated meagre resources for the poll. Star campaigners too stayed away. But our people, with their ears to the ground, delivered. The rebound in Vidarbha continued, with a first victory in the Nagpur MLC election in 57 years and the first majority in decades in the Nagpur rural zila parishad elections. The number of seats won in the Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra was also a surprise to many. Unfortunately, that is where the success story ends.Maharashtra politics can shift at any time. It took down Maha Vikas Aghadi, unable to manage the pulls and pushes of the allies. The unilateral decision by a few individuals in Congress to withdraw from the Speaker’s chair without taking allies on board not only left a powerful position vacant for a long time but also revealed a spectacular inability to forge consensus. Later, the Congress’s choice of the Rajya Sabha candidate also caused friction. The shocking defeat of the Shiv Sena candidate exposed the alliance’s mismanagement.The BJP plucked low-hanging fruit, leaving the battered MVA powerless. It had won the narrative on nationalism and created the perception of efficient delivery of welfare schemes. It also tapped into the dynasty discourse, historical glory and issues around aspiration. The Congress was either slow or reactive, caught up in false pride, and those calling the shots chose to shoot the messenger.Also Read | Rahul Gandhi writes: Match-fixing MaharashtraThe return of the Mahayuti government in 2024, on the back of welfare schemes like Ladki Bahin, free electricity and toll-free access to Mumbai. The ruling coalition also benefited from a demoralised opposition, which was sending contradictory signals on seat sharing till the last minute. This was a far cry from the synchronised Lok Sabha campaign just a few months earlier.There have been allegations around voter enrolment and voting percentages, which are for the EC to answer.The election process involves multiple layers and actors, including Booth Level Agents (BLAs), polling agents, counting agents, polling officials and others, including returning officers. Any discrepancies at any stage must be addressed by the person concerned. The parties have their own scrutinising, checking and cross-checking mechanisms involving BLAs appointed by them, polling agents, counting agents, overseeing war rooms (which have become integral to Election Management), etc. Forms 17A and 17C are the hallmark of due process when it comes to voting, and their completion is signed by agents appointed by the party. And if they are intact, accepted, signed, tallied with no legal challenges, it amounts to accepting the process as it happened. The party must vet its own processes to sharpen the data. If any party accepts a complete collapse of its own acceptance, of abandoned polling booths or lack of oversight of the entire polling process, then it needs to set its own house in order.It is a time to introspect rather than blame. It is a time to reflect on why so many former CMs, Union ministers, PCC presidents and other senior leaders have left the Congress or been all but forced out. To win an election, the party must bring up issues that resonate with the people.most readThe Congress must not alienate dedicated, loyal, committed workers as well as intellectuals, the educated middle class, young and new voters. It must start believing again in the merits of merit. It must strengthen itself by winning elections and thereby gaining respect from its allies. It must embrace a feedback mechanism that addresses the grievances of those in the field. For that, the leadership must actually give appointments to party members who have constructive suggestions. It must do this even if it is not in the interest of the coterie that ringfences the leadership.The Congress needs to undertake a yatra of self-realisation and make an assessment of where it truly stands today.The writer is an AICC Member, former AICC Secretary in charge of Maharashtra (2018-2024)