From 40.3 in 2020, Congress is now fighting to reclaim lost prestige in Delhi

1. 1/10/25, 3:28 PM From 40.3% in 2008 to 4.3% in 2020, Congress is now fighting to reclaim lost prestige in Delhi Published 09 January 2025 It is said that BSP founder Kanshiram used to say that “Fight to lose the first election, defeat in the second, and win the third” ie. pehla chunaav haarne, doosra haraane aur teesra jeetne ke liye ladho. https://votermood.com/blog/congress-is-now-fighting-to-reclaim-lost-prestige-in-delhi 2/4

2. 1/10/25, 3:28 PM From 40.3% in 2008 to 4.3% in 2020, Congress is now fighting to reclaim lost prestige in Delhi Fourth time's a charm? Congress party has been losing successive elections in the Delhi Assembly since last 3 times. Many suggest that they did a political blunder by supporting the AAP to form the government in 2013 but now that they have decided to fight the election on their own strength and has put all hands on the decks it appears that they are all set to fight this election to defeat AAP, or what Kanshiram would have said “doosra haraane ke liey lado..” Why we are saying that they are fighting this election to defeat AAP and why not saying that they are fighting this election to win comes from the observation of last 3 elections which indicate a dismal performance by the party. It should not come as a surprise that in the 2020 election, party fought on 66 seats out of 70 and could neither win nor come even second on any seat. It came a poor third on 62 seats. The vote share of the party which used to be 40.3 % in 2008 dwindled to 4.3 % in 2020. You noticed? 40.3 % to 4.3 % in just 12 years! The party which used to rule Delhi was ousted by newcomer AAP in 2013. In that election party won just 8 seats from 70 it contested. AAP fell short of a majority and won 28 seats while BJP emerged as the single largest party with 31 seats and 33.3 % vote share. Over these years, AAP continued getting stronger while Congress was pushed to the brink of being irrelevant. Many suggest that it is only be fighting alone that the party can get stronger. Perhaps for this reason the party has fielded Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi CM Late Sheela Dikshit from New Delhi against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. AAP had a challenging time AAP’s bloom appears to have started to fade in recent years. In 2020 assembly elections, party ‘s vote share decreased marginally from 54.5 % in 2015 to 53.8 % in 2020. Its leaders have been embroiled in controversies and have had jail stints over various allegations including supremo Kejriwal. Though they were able to win a decisive mandate in Punjab assembly elections 2022 giving a strong support to the party. So political pundits suggest that if Congress gives a tough fight to the AAP especially in SC reserved 12 seats and offers a better & doable promises on social security front to the weaker sector, it has a fair chance of reclaiming some of its lost prestige by defeating AAP candidates. However, victory may still be far off as BJP has gained some ground in terms of vote percentage. BJP ‘s vote share shows improvement As written above, BJP has been gaining ground. In 2013, it’s vote share was 33.1 % but in 2020 it rose to 38.7 % . The party also won all the 7 parliamentary seats of Delhi in last year’s LS elections. https://votermood.com/blog/congress-is-now-fighting-to-reclaim-lost-prestige-in-delhi 3/4

3. 1/10/25, 3:28 PM From 40.3% in 2008 to 4.3% in 2020, Congress is now fighting to reclaim lost prestige in Delhi With three successive losses in Delhi, Congress appears to be focusing on the immediate goal of challenging AAP’s dominance rather than claiming victory. Share this post: Quick Links Contact Us About Us S1, Bidla Sons, Ajmer Road, DCM, Jaipur, 302021 (Rajasthan) VoterMood is a platform for democratic engagement. Information on this platform is meant for public awareness and participation. Users are encouraged to engage responsibly and respect democratic principles. What We Offer News & Media support@votermood.com Blog FAQ +91-85 0202 6969 Contact Us Terms of Service Privacy Policy Site Map 2024 © VoterMood - Designed and Developed by Zentek Infosoft. https://votermood.com/blog/congress-is-now-fighting-to-reclaim-lost-prestige-in-delhi 4/4