Vikrant Shekhawat : Jan 30, 2025, 06:20 PM
Delhi Election 2025: Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years, is today fighting to save its political existence. Congress was in power in Delhi from 1998 to 2013, but after the rise of Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its hold kept weakening. In the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, Congress was reduced to zero, but in the 2025 elections, the party is trying to make the contest triangular. Rahul Gandhi himself is putting all his strength in this election campaign.Congress strategy in Delhi electionsThis time the goal of Congress is not only to win seats, but also to strengthen its political base in Delhi again. The party has fielded strong candidates to not look weak in this election and has also campaigned aggressively against the Aam Aadmi Party.Congress has made the contest interesting by fielding all its veteran leaders in the Delhi elections. The party's strategy is clear—if it has to compete directly with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the future, it will first have to challenge the party that has weakened its political base.Congress's difficultiesCongress, which once got more than 45% of the votes in Delhi, has now seen its vote share drop to 4%. The Muslim, Dalit, Punjabi, Brahmin and Sikh communities, which were once the core voters of the Congress, have now shifted to the Aam Aadmi Party. The Congress did not even open its account in the 2015 and 2020 elections.In the 2020 elections, the Congress contested 66 seats, but could not reach the second position in any seat. It could save its deposit only in three seats—Gandhi Nagar, Deoli and Kasturba Nagar.Congress' decline with the rise of Aam Aadmi PartyThe Congress, which came to power in 1998 by winning 47.75% votes and 52 seats, was reduced to 8 seats in 2013 with 24.6% votes. In 2015, it got only 9.7% votes and in 2020 it fell to 4.26%. At the same time, the graph of Aam Aadmi Party continued to rise - winning 62 seats with 29.5% vote share in 2013, 54.3% in 2015 and 53.57% vote share in 2020.Congress' hopes in the battle of 2025This time Congress has campaigned aggressively by targeting Kejriwal's 'Delhi Model'. The party has hopes from Rahul Gandhi's activism, but due to his health problems, some rallies had to be cancelled. Congress has focused on Muslim and Dalit dominated seats, but Asaduddin Owaisi's party AIMIM has spoiled the equation by fielding its candidates on two seats.It does not seem easy for Congress to regain its ground in the electoral contest confined between BJP and Aam Aadmi Party. AAP candidates are creating the narrative that there is no benefit in voting for Congress because the real fight for power is between AAP and BJP.Will Congress be able to make a comeback?The road to Congress's comeback in Delhi looks difficult. It will not only have to increase its vote share but also strengthen its core vote bank. At present, Congress is struggling to maintain its political identity and the 2025 election is no less than a battle for survival for it.