Once again, Congress fails to revive its falling fortunes

In the absence of a strong opposition, it was no surprise that Congress won 364 out of the total 489 seats in the first general elections. Many elections and opponents later, it notched its best tally of 414 in 1984 only to go steadily downhill thereafter. Under Sonia, it revived in 2009, winning 206 seats but 2014 proved to be a Modi tsunami that got stronger in 2019.