The Congress on Thursday failed to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in Goa, and could not retain power in Punjab which was swept by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The grand old party is now left in power only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and is a very small player in the coalition governments in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, after the poll drubbing, several people on social media are of the opinion that the Congress needs a complete transformation to challenge the ruling BJP. Some party leaders, in hushed tones, are also demanding the same.
Speaking to NDTV, a Congress leader said the Sidhu episode in Punjab was a "systemic failure and a collapse of the system". He also said Priyanka Gandhi's campaign in Uttar Pradesh was also a "flop". "In UP, we have got a lower percentage of votes than last time. We don't need a weather forecast to see what is happening," the leader said.
Some said that even after spending hundreds of crores for the election, no votes materialised from this. "We are speaking out of anguish, not anger. We were never consulted or allowed to be involved in the election decisions," another senior leader told NDTV.
However, senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar defended the leadership after the humiliating loss and said that the Congress party cannot remain united without the Gandhi family. "Without the Gandhi family, the Congress party cannot stay united. They are key for the unity of the Congress party... It is impossible for the Congress to survive without the Gandhi family," he told NDTV.
The Karnataka Congress chief also complimented Priyanka Gandhi for taking up "the thought fight" and "working hard". "The thing is that the Congress has not been able to convince the voters of this country. The people of this country are not understanding. We got an opportunity to explain it to them, but have failed to do so," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, former Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha suggested the name of former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to be made the party president as he is "hard working, 24X7 leader, accessible, hungry to win, and an outstanding communicator".
