Congress strategists believe an early general election will suit it better politically, with a divided Opposition failing to emerge as an alternative on an all-India level. This is the current thinking in party circles.
“The Lok Sabha elections could be held in December next year or January 2014,” a Congress strategist said. He attached significance to the BJP’s apparent inability to expand outside the Hindi belt, and felt even the BJP-led NDA was unable to grow in the absence of an “acceptable” leader with appeal, charisma and a following across the country.
The regional parties, on the other hand, had not produced a leader or leaders with a national vision and the capacity to lead the country, at a time when economic challenges were becoming more severe and both the internal and external security environment getting more complex.
Also, leaders like Mayawati, Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee were known for independent functioning, and it was yet to be seen if they would work together.
Congress insiders feel the Assembly results in Himachal Pradesh, Guja-rat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi in the coming months will have little bearing on the general election as people voted differently for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
The Congress is more worried about inflation and unemployment than corruption, which has hit leaders of almost every party.
The party lost several Assembly polls after 2009 and is organisationally weak in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and is not very strong even in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where it is in power.
The Congress hopes the Food Security Bill will bring it votes in the coming election as NREGA, the RTI Act and the waiving of farmers’ loans helped in 2009.