Neerja Chowdhury writes | RS poll debacle in Himachal to Sonia’s UP exit: Harsh light shines on a Congress in crisis

The Rajya Sabha elections have stirred a political commotion and not only because of cross-voting, as has often taken place in the past. The BJP is out to get every seat it can but this time, its defeat of the official Congress candidate in Himachal Pradesh and a Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee in Uttar Pradesh are being viewed as attempts to demoralise an already downhearted Opposition on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls.

The defeat of Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress’s candidate from the only seat in Himachal Pradesh that was up for grabs, took many by surprise for it wasn’t as if it was a close contest. The Congress was far ahead of the BJP with 43 MLAs on its side and only 25 legislators of the Opposition party arrayed against it. In the lead-up to the election, Singhvi openly hinted at the possibility of the BJP weaning away Congress MLAs.

Then why and how did the Congress fail to manage the situation staring it in the face? Was it only the factional war inside the party? The party is, after all, in power in the state, with all the advantages that power brings. In contrast, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, also in power, managed things in the southern state where they got all three of the party’s nominees elected to the Upper House despite attempts by the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) to queer the pitch.

When it seemed that the Congress might be on the verge of losing the government in Shimla — Singhvi’s defeat raised questions about its majority in the Assembly — the party leadership swung into action and rolled in the heavy artillery. Senior leaders such as Shivakumar and Bhupinder Singh Hooda were dispatched as observers to pull the teetering government back from the brink.