Assembly Elections 2026 | Win in Kerala a lifeline for Congress which has finally something to cheer about

An emphatic victory in Kerala and an enhanced space in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc following the fall of Trinamool Congress and DMK is a morale booster for the grand old party.

New Delhi: The Congress has something to cheer in this round of Assembly elections after dismal electoral performances post 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with an emphatic victory in Kerala and an enhanced space in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc following the fall of Trinamool Congress and DMK.

The results have left the Opposition bloc with questions on how it would move forward from here when two of its top partners – Trinamool and DMK – considered a bulwark against the Hindutva forces biting the dust to anti-incumbency while the BJP managed to circumvent it in Assam.

Congress’ Rahul Gandhi could be considered a winner ironically along with the BJP, as he read the tea leaves better by choosing not to share stage with “elder brother” MK Stalin, back a section that wanted to go with Vijay’s TVK and leaving no stones unturned in attacking Trinamool Congress and the Left.

The results will embolden the supporters of actor Vijay in Congress, who have been brandishing internal surveys to argue for a tie-up with TVK, to fault the seniors for not reading it right. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was said to be instrumental in not disturbing the status quo in Tamil Nadu.

A section in the party also finds senior leader P Chidambaram and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for insisting on going with the DMK while Rahul was said to be inclined to explore the possibilities of going with Vijay, who in early 2010s was keen to join the Congress.

CPI(M)’s state leadership was also in favour of going with TVK, but like the Congress, its leaders in Delhi also vetoed the idea. It is to be seen how parties like VCK will see its future in the alliance with DMK and how Congress would play its cards in the future.

In this election season, Congress had not shied away from directly attacking its allies as Rahul targeted leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan in person, calling them cohorts of the BJP, as the idea gained ground that the the grand old party is not benefitted by allies while the latter eating it up.

The defeat of Trinamool would mean that it would not be able to seek a more prominent space for Mamata Banerjee at national level. As in the past whenever Congress floundered, Trinamool was preparing to project her as the face of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc if she had won this time too.

The victory in Kerala has come as a lifeline for the Congress, as a defeat would have ramifications with questions being raised once again over its ability to lead an anti-BJP front at the national level besides burying questions over Congress’ election winning ability at least for the time being.

While the Congress leadership will have to now decide on the competing claims of K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala for the leadership role in Kerala, the results will also raise the oft-repeated question about the party’s record on taking the BJP in a one-on-one contest. 

In Assam,  the party could not unseat the BJP, amid a misfired campaign where it could not manage to consolidate Ahom community and in the Upper Assam region where it hoped to improve its performance. The party also appeared to have left the game even  before it started.

Puducherry also saw troubles in alliance as Congress and DMK, which political analysts believed it could win, fought against each other and appeared to have helped AINRC to regain power.

The group in Congress that is arguing for organisational regrouping in states where it is on the downslide and not piggy riding on an ally have got a shot in the arm but it is still to be seen whether the Congress can take more risks in states like Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due early next year.