Congress Faces Electoral Drought in Bundelkhand as Historic Strongholds Slip Away

Banda: Since independence, the tricolour flag of Congress has consistently fluttered in both Lok Sabha and assembly elections across the country. The Congress candidates achieved a hat-trick in the Lok Sabha elections of 1952, 1957, and 1962. However, the current challenges faced by the Congress party have rendered its influence virtually invisible in Bundelkhand. The Congress has not secured victory in the Banda Chitrakoot parliamentary seat for the past four decades. In the previous elections, Congress candidates failed to even retain their deposits on all four seats in Bundelkhand. Presently, it seems unlikely that the Congress symbol, the hand, will appear on three seats apart from Jhansi.

Since independence until 1991, Congress candidates dominated the electoral landscape in Bundelkhand. They secured victories in the Jhansi Lok Sabha constituency in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1971, 1980, and 1984. Similarly, Congress emerged triumphant in the Jalaun Lok Sabha seat in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, and 1971. The Banda Chitrakoot parliamentary seat also witnessed Congress victories in 1952 and 1957. Subsequently, due to competition between the Communists and the Congress, the political dynamics fluctuated, resulting in sporadic wins for either party. Congress last tasted victory in 1984 when Bhishma Dev Dubey secured the seat.

A similar scenario prevails in the Hamirpur Mahoba Lok Sabha constituency, where Congress emerged victorious on seven occasions. From 1952 to 1971, Congress maintained its winning streak, securing victories in 1980 and 1984 as well. However, post-1991, Congress failed to clinch victory here. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidates’ deposits were forfeited on all four seats in Bundelkhand.

In the current Lok Sabha elections, an alliance between Congress and SP has been forged. Consequently, only the Jhansi seat has been allocated to Congress, while SP candidates will contest the Banda Mahoba and Jalaun seats. Due to this alliance, the Congress symbol, the hand, will be absent from the EVMs. It remains to be seen how advantageous this alliance will prove for Congress. Senior journalist Sudhir Nigam opines that despite the alliance between SP and BSP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BSP’s cadre vote shifted to SP, resulting in a formidable challenge to BJP candidates. However, if traditional Congress voters support SP in this election, it is unlikely to significantly benefit SP, given the diminished support base of Congress compared to previous years.

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