Rahul listening? Jaiveer Shergill lists 3 things Congress mustn't do as party draws blank

The discontent in the Congress party came to the fore yet again on Monday as it failed to open its account in the Delhi Assembly polls. After congratulating Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for AAP’s victory in the election, Congress national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill offered a stinging critique of his party’s usual post-poll reaction. He advised the party not to justify its own defeat and avoid finding happiness in BJP not faring well. Moreover, he rubbished the usual narrative that wins and losses in elections are cyclical in nature.  

Read: Delhi Election: 'Delhi's Son Kejriwal Stands Undefeated,' Says AAP Leader Sanjay Singh

Read: Delhi Polls: Mamata Banerjee Congratulates Arvind Kejriwal As Trends Favour Sweep For AAP

'Moral victory' excuse

Since taking over as the president of the Congress party in December 2017, Rahul Gandhi failed to win most of the states barring for Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. Despite the BJP's thumping victory, there is a perception that Congress has sought to neglect its own diminishing fortunes and focused more on the success achieved by other parties. Basically, Congress leaders have latched on to the smallest of the positives to project a "moral" victory for the party.

As per the Election Commission of India trends at 1.13 pm, AAP is leading in 58 seats while Congress is trailing from all constituencies. While AAP's current vote share is 53.32%, Congress languishes at a dismal 4.28%. This is a further dip in performance for the Congress party which secured 9.7% of the vote in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls. 

Read: Delhi Elections: 'Still Hopeful Of Good Results,' Says BJP Leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan

'Congress seems to have made a sacrifice'

The "moral victory" approach was reflected in Congress Rajya Sabha MP KTS Tulsi's remarks. He justified his party's lacklustre campaign by suggesting that the aim was to avoid the splitting up of votes. Moreover, he concentrated on targeting BJP for allegedly practising the politics of hate. 

KTS Tulsi remarked, “Congress seems to have made a sacrifice for preventing the splitting up of votes which would have resulted in a victory for BJP. If Congress had also equally applied force in the campaign process, it would have resulted in BJP winning.” He added, "I think it is a good lesson for the BJP. Those doing politics of hatred seems to have been rebuffed. It was important for this message to go." 

Read: Delhi Elections: AAP's Candidate Leads Against Kapil Mishra In Model Town Constituency