Congress leader: Vijay-Rahul Gandhi combo could have won 190 seats in Tamil Nadu

The recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections have exposed deep fissures within the Congress party's state unit, as highlighted by the candid admission of AICC in-charge Girish Chodankar. His statement that a potent alliance between superstar Vijay and Rahul Gandhi could have swept the polls, securing an improbable 180-190 seats, underscores a significant disconnect between the party's national leadership and the local sentiment on the ground.

“

The local leaders, the grassroots level leaders, were suggesting if Rahul Gandhi, who has a large acceptance in Tamil Nadu, joins the campaign with Vijay, it will create a big impact and we can sweep the Tamil Nadu polls, and get somewhere around 180-190 seats.

Chodankar's explanation for sticking with the DMK, citing the compulsions of the INDIA bloc and DMK's status as a long-time ally, rings hollow in the face of the electorate's decisive mandate for change. The overwhelming victory of the Vijay-led TVK, which saw the incumbent chief minister MK Stalin lose his seat, serves as a stark repudiation of the established political order and, by extension, the Congress's strategic miscalculation.

The admission that party cadres and voters were left "angry" and shifted their allegiance to the TVK is a critical self-assessment. This electoral debacle in Tamil Nadu, a state where the Congress once held considerable sway, demands introspection. While Chodankar dismisses claims of personal interest influencing the decision, the outcome suggests a failure to adequately read the room and prioritize the aspirations of the local populace over bloc politics.

“

Our cadres got angry, our voters also, and then they moved towards the TVK.

As the Congress leadership, including President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, considers the next steps, the emphasis must be on respecting the people's mandate. The party's future in Tamil Nadu hinges on its ability to reconnect with the grassroots and demonstrate a genuine commitment to the state's unique cultural and ideological identity, rather than attempting to manipulate electoral outcomes.

“

The mandate of the people is for a change. So, we also have to bow before the mandate that is given by the people of Tamil Nadu. We don't want to, you know, manipulate the mandate and go against the mandate of the people.