Patna: Contrary to the euphoria created in Congress camp in view of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in run up to Bihar assembly election, the party`s disastrous performance in the polls vindicated the fact that it continued to suffer from its 'chronic' problems like organisational weakness and strong party leadership.
It is another matter that the party believes that Gandhi`s two previous yatras had helped them consolidate votes in the last few elections.
Two prominent leaders- state Congress president Rajesh Ram and Congress legislative party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan were defeated in the election, another setback for the party.
But Congress`s dismal performance was a major setback for Gandhi as well. His Voter Adhikar Yatra which started from Sasaram and concluded in Patna, crossed 25 districts and 110 assembly constituencies, covering about 1,300 km. Mahagathbandhan was trailing in 9 out 10 seats where Gandhi held rallies, as his ‘Vote Chori’ narrative failed.
While Congress will conduct an assessment into its Bihar drubbing, Congress's hesitation to endorse the RJD's Tejashwi Yadav as the alliance's chief ministerial face is also considered as one of the reasons. When a reporter asked Gandhi why Congress was not declaring Tejashwi as chief ministerial candidate of Mahagathbandhan, Gandhi sidestepped the question.
While Gandhi's yatra enthused the grassroots workers, the euphoria created by it evaporated by the time the campaigning ended. Friendly contests and factionalism among the partners also created confusion, hurting electoral prospects of both Congress and the RJD.
