With victory in Karnataka, Congress now in seven states Will be in power in the Assemblies. Four of these are Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and now Karnataka where the Congress is in power on its own. There are three other states – Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu where the Congress is part of the ruling coalition.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is the last state before Karnataka in which the Congress won assembly elections (in 2022), the current term of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly is till 2027. In the 68-seat state, the Congress has 45, with Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu winning from Nadaun in western Himachal. The main opposition to the Congress in the state is the BJP, which won only 25 seats on the back of an anti-incumbency wave and some of the Congress’ key policy promises, including rolling back the controversial New Pension Scheme in the state. While a leadership struggle was expected in the state, with the Congress having many powerful leaders in the state, the party managed to avoid any trouble and appointed Sukhu, a senior Congress leader and former student union leader.
Rajasthan
Elections are to be held in Rajasthan by the end of this year. In 2018, the Congress won 100 out of 200 seats in the assembly elections, just one short of the majority mark. While the party was able to form a government under veteran Ashok Gehlot, the elections were marred by an anti-incumbency wave against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje of the BJP. It was marked by a wave, which did not translate into the expected landslide victory of the Congress. Since 2018, the Congress’s rule of Rajasthan has been marred by infighting within the party, with a bitter tussle between its two tallest leaders, Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, which could prove to be a headache in the coming elections .
Chhattisgarh
Like Rajasthan, elections are to be held in Chhattisgarh by the end of this year. In 2018, the Congress trounced the BJP in Chhattisgarh, winning 68 of the 90 seats in the state. After being in the opposition for fifteen years from 2003, the Congress formed the government in the state. On one side was the party’s OBC face and popular leader Bhupesh Baghel and on the other side was the Maharaja of Surguja and veteran party leader TS Singh Deo. The Congress chose Baghel and, at the time, “promised” that Dev would get the chief minister’s post in the second half of the term. but it didn’t happen
Karnataka
The Congress has won a landslide victory in the southern state of Karnataka, winning almost twice as many seats as the BJP. Now the Congress has to decide who will be the Chief Minister. On one side is former Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah. On the other hand, there is firebrand politician DK Shivakumar.
Congress coalition government in Bihar
In the 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, an alliance led by the BJP (74 seats) and JD(U) (43 seats) won power in the 243-seat Bihar Legislative Assembly. The Congress, which won only 19 seats, was part of the opposition along with the RJD, the CPI(ML) and the CPI(M). However, JD(U) chief minister Nitish Kumar withdrew his alliance with the BJP and joined the then opposition parties to form a government with a 2/3 majority in 2022. Presently, Congress is a part of this ruling coalition and Congress holds two ministries.
Congress coalition government in Jharkhand
The 2019 Jharkhand assembly elections took place just a few months after the national elections, in which the BJP was expected to carry forward its national momentum. However, a coalition of JMM (30 seats), Congress (16 seats) and RJD (1 seat) formed the government in the 81-seat house. Currently, JMM supremo Hemant Soren is the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Congress has 4 ministerial posts in his government.
Congress alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu
The 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly election was the first since the death of two of the tallest leaders of the state – M Karunanidhi (DMK) and J Jayalalithaa (AIADMK). The secular progressive alliance led by the DMK won the election decisively and the DMK alone secured 133 seats. The Congress, a part of this alliance, won 18 seats and thus is a part of the current Blitz Stalin-led government.
Elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana this year
Five more state assembly elections are due this year – in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. The Congress is in power in two of these states and will face a tough challenge fighting anti-incumbency and party infighting to retain them. It would like to win back Madhya Pradesh, where it formed a government with a narrow majority in 2018, but failed to retain that majority amid several major defections, including that of current Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
PM Modi congratulated Congress for the big victory in Karnataka, said- My best wishes, also thanked the voters )himachal congress
