Congress faces tough task to revive fortunes

BHUBANESWAR: The crushing defeat of Congress in Dhamnagar byelection, with its candidate Baba Harekrushna Sethy losing his security deposit, has triggered apprehensions about the grand old party’s existence in the state.
With the BJP gaining strength in the run-up to the 2024 elections, the Congress’s target of winning 90 out of 147 assembly seats seems to be a distant dream. Having won 16 assembly seats in 2014 to only 9 in 2019, the journey of the Congress has been downwards in the state since 2000.
Its vote share in the 2019 assembly polls dropped to 16.12% from 25.7% in 2014, with the party losing its main opposition status to BJP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress’s vote share nosedived to 13.81% compared to 26.38% in 2014.
“We are disappointed by the Dhamnagar results. But we have not thrown in the towel. We still stick to our target of winning 90 assembly seats to form the government in 2024,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak said.
Asked how he would turn the fortunes of the Congress, Pattanayak said they would strengthen its grassroots base. “Much before the 2024 elections, we will keep ready our revival strategy. The areas where we are weak and do not have any organisational base would be given priority. We will encourage our leaders and workers to work hard and reach out to the masses, highlighting our vision and agenda for a developed Odisha,” Pattanayak said, adding, “I would soon send an observer to find out the reasons for our defeat in Dhamnagar. We would try to improve our performance in next month’s Padampur byelection.”
Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra said the state leadership should deliberate on the issues and strategies, involving revival of the party. “We performed well in the recent Brajarajnagar byelection but the Dhamnagar results came as a big setback for us,” Mishra said.