A crucial Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee post-poll stocktaking exercise on Saturday reportedly deliberated how the “relative lack of voter enthusiasm” will impact the party’s prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In 2019, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) crested a wave of eagerness for Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad candidature to win 19 seats in Kerala.
Congress’ top brass reportedly noted with worry that the voting percentage was particularly low in some UDF strongholds. (The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had claimed that the voting pattern would augur well for the Left Democratic Front.)
The Congress campaign wagered that ‘public discontent’ with the Central and State governments and Mr. Gandhi’s second innings as Congress candidate from Wayanad will produce high poll numbers to propel the party to victory.
However, the sweltering weather, lack of campaign funds, and an arguably lacklustre approach to electioneering at the grassroots level in some key constituencies seem to have dampened the Congress’ hopes for a clean sweep in 2024, similar to 2019.
The party’s early perception of an angry electorate spurred by the sentiment to punish the Bharatiya Janata Party and the LDF did not manifest in higher voter turnout at polling booths.
KPCC acting president M.M. Hassan has sought a report from District Congress Committees. He wanted workers to extract, analyse, and tabulate data about absentee voters at the booth level and explore why UDF voters stayed at home in some constituencies.
The KPCC believes the exercise will help the party pin down any voter impersonation. It reportedly moderated the party’s expectations after it discerned the makings of a tough uphill three-cornered battle in several constituencies.
Hence, the Congress has seemingly set a relatively low expectation bar to forestall any wide-of-the-mark overestimation.
The conclave also factored in the possibility of last-minute cross-voting by CPI(M) and BJP cadres to disadvantage the Congress in some battleground parliamentary segments.
The meeting blamed faulty electronic voting machines and “pro-LDF election officials” for the slow polling.
The KPCC also decided to conserve the Lok Sabha campaign’s momentum to lay a path to victory in the upcoming local body elections and the 2026 Assembly polls.
On May 11, it will launch a campaign to counter the ‘communally polarising misinformation campaign’ the LDF allegedly prosecuted against Shafi Parambil, MLA, in the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency.
The KPCC hopes its ceaseless campaigning will set the political tone for possible Assembly byelections ahead.
