Hatric zero in three elections: Congress dreaming of regaining lost glory

NEW DELHI: Congress, which contested the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party under the banner of INDIA Front, stood alone in the assembly elections in Delhi to regain its lost glory. Although there was no major comeback due to the collapse of its popular base, the party was expecting at least three to five seats. Despite increasing its vote share, the Congress could not win a single seat. The only achievement was that it was able to block the Aam Aadmi Party's path by dividing the minority and Dalit votes.

In 2008, which is considered the golden age of the Congress, Sheila Dikshit achieved a hat-trick of victories by winning 43 out of 70 seats (47 in 2003). In 2013, the Congress, which suffered a setback in the anti-corruption movement led by Arvind Kejriwal with Anna Hazare in the lead, was reduced to eight seats. Congress had extended support to the Aam Aadmi Party to oust the BJP from power, but later withdrew it. Kejriwal's first government resigned after 49 days, paving the way for President's rule. Congress was left without seats when Kejriwal swept Delhi in 2015 and when he won again in 2020.

Congress's base was shaken by the Dalit and minority vote bank flowing to the Aam Aadmi Party. Congress had aimed to bring them back this time by deciding to contest alone. Rahul Gandhi directly attacked the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal in the campaign and made his position clear. If a major setback weakens the Aam Aadmi Party, it could be beneficial for the Congress as a pre-emptive move. Congress' vote share, which was 40% in 2008, had declined to 24.6% in 2013. It was 9.7% in 2015 and 4.31% in 2020. It increased to 6.34% in 2025.