Cong debacle in Assembly polls: Fact-finding committee report set to open ‘Pandora’s Box’

Jammu, Jan 22: Report of the fact-finding committee on the Congress Party’s poor show in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections held last year is all set to open a “Pandora’s Box.”
The panel, according to a senior Congress leader, was formed to ascertain the reasons behind the Congress’s poor performance soon after the results of the assembly polls were declared in October 2024.
The grand old party only won six out of ninety assembly seats in J&K of which it bagged five in Kashmir and one in Jammu region, considered to be the party’s citadel just a few years ago.
A top Congress leader said, “The committee worked meticulously over a period of 45 days to compile a detailed report. The committee’s findings have highlighted concerns in the Jammu division, despite Congress traditionally having a strong foothold in the region.”
He said the report remains confidential. “It was first submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee Chief and subsequently handed over to the central leadership. The report is an in-depth analysis of the party’s setbacks and suggest measures for recovery,” he added.
The senior leader said that while Congress fared well in Kashmir, securing five out of nine seats, its performance in Jammu was poor.
“Swapping of seats during the election period may have contributed to the challenges faced in Jammu,” the leader said.
“The results in Kashmir reflect our strong support base in the Valley. However, the Jammu debacle compelled us to introspect deeply and take corrective measures,” the Senior Congress leader said.
Notably, the grand old party hit a new low as far as the results of the Jammu region were concerned.
In Jammu, only one seat came Congress’s way after party candidate Iftikhar Ahmed defeated his nearest rival, Vibodh Gupta of the BJP, by a margin of 1,404 votes in Rajouri.
Many of its prominent leaders, including two working presidents, lost the polls. Most of these Congress leaders lost to their BJP rivals.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand in Chhamb, Raman Bhalla in RS Pura, Vikar Rasool Wani in Banihal, Choudhary Lal Singh in Basohli, Manohar Lal Sharma in Billawar, Yogesh Sawhney in Jammu East, Mula Ram in Marh, and Mohammed Shabir Khan in Thanamandi lost the elections.
The Congress leader said that the party was now focusing on addressing these regional concerns and strengthening its presence across Jammu and Kashmir.
He reiterated that the Congress remains committed to its principal demand for the restoration of statehood, stressing that it was critical to the region’s political and electoral stability. (KNO)