HYDERABAD: The PJ Kurien Committee, tasked with analysing the Congress party’s lacklustre performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, concluded its inquiry at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday. The committee which began its inquiry on Thursday by taking the opinion of the party’s winning and losing candidates on Day-1, continued the process for the second day.
The committee will next visit some districts on Saturday to meet local leaders and workers and take feedback from them on why the Congress had won only eight seats despite being the ruling party following a splendid showing in the Assembly polls held six months back.
While leaving Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, the committee members stated that they would submit their inquiry report to the party high command on July 21.
Party sources said that the committee has returned with a range of opinions attributing the electoral setback to various factors, including internal dynamics and external alliances.
Most party leaders blamed the alleged ‘secret pact’ between BRS and BJP for their poor show as the BRS had ensured that its vote share was transferred to BJP so as to defeat Congress.
During its assessment, the committee noted several key points that could have contributed to the Congress’s electoral woes.
Prominent among these was the perceived “undeclared” alliance with the AIMIM, which was widely seen as detrimental to the Congress’s prospects. This perception, according to the committee findings, led to a shift in Hindu voters towards the BJP, believing that the AIMIM was tilting towards the Congress.
Feroz Khan, a prominent figure and a critic of AIMIM, reportedly highlighted to the committee that this alliance perception significantly boosted BJP’s appeal among Hindu voters, who feared AIMIM’s influence on Congress’s electoral strategy.
Furthermore, the committee also pointed out delays in announcing names of candidates and alleged non-cooperation from within the party ranks as additional factors contributing to the electoral setback.
In constituencies such as Medak and Malkajgiri, Congress candidates lamented the lack of support from local leaders, including former MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao and his son and Medak MLA Mynampally Rohit.
Neelam Madhu, the Congress candidate from Medak, reportedly expressed disappointment over the lack of expected support from local leadership, which, he claimed, had affected his campaign adversely. Similar sentiments were echoed by Patnam Sunita Mahender Reddy, the Malkajgiri candidate, who noted a decrease in voter turnout compared to the previous elections, attributing it to the subdued campaign efforts from local Congress leaders.
In Karimnagar, Congress leaders emphasised that a delayed announcement of candidates left them with insufficient time to mount an effective campaign against BJP and BRS candidates, who had a head start of several months.
However, senior party leaders have indicated that the inquiry report may not assign blame on any individual leader but rather focus on the broader circumstances and the impact of the BJP-BRS alleged secret pact.
