Lok Sabha gains, state losses: 2024 a year of mixed fortunes for Congress | India News

NEW DELHI: The Congress party experienced a mixed trajectory in 2024, facing significant electoral challenges and opportunities. The match went through crucial moments Lok Sabha elections and several state polls, achieving modest successes but encountering substantial setbacks in his attempt to regain political prominence.
At the national level, the Congress improved its parliamentary presence, increasing its Lok Sabha seats from 52 in 2019 to 99 in 2024, strengthening the INDIA blockThe position against the BJP. However, results at the state level presented a more nuanced picture, with victories often overshadowed by significant losses, underscoring the substantial work required for the party’s restoration.

Formation of INDIA bloc: Opposition unites against BJP

The INDIA bloc emerged as a formidable coalition in the run-up to the 2024 elections, uniting opposition parties to challenge the BJP’s decade-long dominance. Led by the Congress, this alliance included regional heavyweights like the Samajwadi Party, the NCP (SP), the TMC and the DMK. The formation of the bloc was initially catalyzed by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who hosted the first meeting of opposition leaders, laying the foundation for a unified strategy.
However, Nitish Kumar later switched sides and aligned with the BJP to regain his position as Bihar CM. Finally he offered his support to the formation of the Centre’s government, emerging as a key player in the process.
With its “big tent” approach, the bloc sought to consolidate anti-BJP votes across states, focusing on states where regional parties had strongholds.

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Gains for INDIA, but BJP holds on

The 2024 general elections marked a significant change as the INDIA bloc won 238 seats, gaining over 100 seats compared to its pre-dissolution strength. And the grand old party is missing a seat in the century of goals. Despite this improvement, the Congress fell short of being a decisive force in the Lok Sabha as the BJP-led NDA won 293 seats, including 240 for the BJP.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress’s alliance with the Samajwadi Party bore fruit: the bloc won 44 seats, a big dent in the BJP’s stronghold, where its tally fell from 62 in 2019. Apart from UP, the alliance performed exceptionally good in key battleground states like Maharashtra, where it wrested majority seats from the BJP.

In 2024, Congress’ vote share increased by 1.74 percentage points, reaching 21.20%, up from 19.46% in 2019. This increase was reflected in its improved number of seats.
Meanwhile, the BJP, despite contesting more seats than in 2019, saw a 0.73 percentage point decline in its vote share, falling to 36.57%, and is expected to fall short of the 272-seat mark.
However, this success was offset by poor performance in states like Bihar, where the Congress-RJD alliance failed to make an impact, allowing the NDA to maintain its control.

Vote Percentage Comparison: BJP vs Congress

As the BJP’s Lok Sabha tally fell, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to lean on key allies like Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu to maintain his position in power.

Congress depends on its allies

The Congress seemed to rely heavily on its allies in 2024. Thanks to the collective efforts of the INDIA bloc, the opposition won nearly 240 seats in the Lok Sabha, marking a strong resurgence. Among the key contributors was Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which won a remarkable 37 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, slashing the BJP’s tally of 62 in 2019 to just 33. The biggest surprise came when the SP snatched to the BJP the Ayodhya seat in Faizabad, despite the latter’s high-profile Ram Mandir consecration ceremony led by Prime Minister Modi just a few months earlier.
The alliance with DMK proved equally impactful, resulting in an outright victory in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP failed to win a single seat. DMK’s contribution of 21 seats became an important pillar for the INDIA bloc. Similarly, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP added critical support, further denting the BJP’s dominance.

The role of allies in Congress’s resurgence within the INDIA bloc

In state assembly electionsThe regional allies had much of the weight for Congress. In Jharkhand, Hemant Soren’s JMM, fresh from its legal battles, won 34 seats, while the Congress managed only 16. Together, the INDIA bloc limited the BJP to 21 seats in the state to keep Soren in the seat of CM.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the first assembly elections in over a decade (and the first since the abrogation of Article 370) witnessed a stellar performance by the National Conference, which secured 41 seats in the valley. Even though the Congress won only six seats and the BJP achieved its best results in Jammu, Omar Abdullah’s National Conference led the charge, keeping the Congress on board to claim leadership in the Union Territory.

State elections in 2024: Triumphs and challenges for Congress

Arunachal Pradesh – The Congress faced a huge defeat, winning only one of the 60 seats while the BJP strengthened its control with 46 seats.
Sikkim – The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) swept the elections, leaving no room for the Congress or other opposition parties.
Andhra Pradesh – In the Andhra Pradesh elections, Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP achieved a historic victory with 135 seats out of the 144 contested. Allies Jana Sena and BJP won 21 and 8 seats respectively, while the ruling YSR Congress was reduced to 11 seats. The Congress failed to win any seats.
Odisha – In Odisha polls, Congress won 14 seats, CPI(M) got one and independent candidates got three. However, the BJP emerged as the dominant force, surpassing the majority mark with 78 seats, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year reign and limiting the BJD to just 51 seats.
Haryana – The Congress put up a strong fight but fell short, winning 37 seats to the BJP’s 48, despite a narrow vote share.
Jammu and Kashmir – In the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Abdullah’s National Conference (NC) led the alliance to victory with 42 seats, while the Congress won only six seats. The BJP had a solid performance, winning 29 seats in the 90 Assembly.
Maharastra – Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a crushing defeat as the BJP won 132 seats. The grand old party won only 16 seats, while other MVA allies also struggled, including Sharad Pawar’s NCP with 10 seats and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena with 20 seats.
Jharkhand – The Congress, as part of the JMM-led Mahagathbandhan, celebrated a comfortable victory. The coalition won 56 seats and the Congress contributed 16.

Congress under old guards: an obstacle to reactivation?

Congress’s continued decisions to support its veteran leaders have been widely seen as a major contributing factor to its declining performance in state elections.
In October 2022, the big party handed over the presidential baton to veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, bypassing other favorites such as Shashi Tharoor, a London-educated St Stephen’s alumnus and social media darling.
In 2018, Kamal Nath was elected instead of Jyotiraditya Scindia for the post of chief minister in Madhya Pradesh. The government eventually collapsed in 2020, and Scindia subsequently joined the BJP, which gave him the post of Union minister.
Similarly, that same year, the election of Ashok Gehlot over Sachin Pilot for Rajasthan’s top job deepened their rivalry, a rift that likely played a major role in the party’s electoral defeat in the state in 2023.
The party’s support for Haryana veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former chief minister, also generated internal rivalry, with tensions between Hooda and Kumari Shelja. This gap likely contributed to Congress’ shocking defeat, defying poll predictions.
The Kharge-led party stumbled in several state elections, even losing its control in states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
However, the Congress showed improvement in the 2024 general elections when the INDIA alliance won 238 seats, an increase of over 100 seats from its previous position. The party itself was close to reaching 100 seats.

A year of mixed luck

The establishment of the opposition alliance INDIA, led by Congress, represented a notable attempt to present a unified front against the BJP. The coalition’s achievements in the Lok Sabha demonstrated the effectiveness of opposition unity, but setbacks in regions like Maharashtra revealed the difficulties in sustaining political momentum and maintaining unity.
The year 2024 demonstrated the resilience of Congress along with its weaknesses. In 2025, the INDIA alliance faces the challenge of maintaining its unified stance and converting immediate gains into lasting political advantages, particularly as important electoral contests approach next year.