As Congress Turns 140, New Challenges In New Year

India's Grand Old Party turned 140 this year - and is bracing for a new year that brings with it a lot of challenges. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections provided the Congress with fresh strength, but its series of defeats continued in all states except Jharkhand.

This year, Congress's position in the Opposition All India Alliance has weakened further. So for the party, 2026 will be a do-or-die year.

New Issues For New Year:

Congress plans to launch the new year with a national campaign against the G RAM G Act, which replaces MNREGA. 

At the party's Working Committee meet - held  a day before the Foundation Day on December 28 -- the party announced the Save MNREGA campaign, which will begin from January 5.

Under this campaign, the Congress will organise protests and large rallies across the country. 

The vote theft issue which the party's senior leader Rahul Gandhi raised this year did not have much traction. So a fresh campaign is expected to replace it in the new year.

Also, the party's focus under Rahul Gandhi's leadership will be on the politics of "social justice," especially in connection with the OBC community.

Organisational Challenge, Opportunity for Priyanka Gandhi:

The Congress party's biggest challenge is strengthening its organisation. Under a campaign launched in 2025, the appointment of new district presidents across the country will be completed early next year. 

Several senior leaders, such as Digvijay Singh, however, are raising questions about the party's organizational practices.

A large section wants Priyanka Gandhi to be given greater responsibility and it is possible that she will play a bigger role in the new year.

The Karnataka Tangle:

Currently, the Congress has government in three states. While they are in control of Himachal Pradesh and Telangana, it is the one in Karnataka that makes the most headlines - and not always positive ones. 

There is tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy DK Shivakumar over the top post. In the new year, the Congress brass will have to make a crucial decision. 

If balance is not maintained between the two parties during this period, things could go awry.

In Jharkhand, the Congress is in alliance with the ruling JMM. But the two parties have hit a rough patch.

Race for Rajya Sabha:

This year, the Congress will also have to select candidates for approximately 10 Rajya Sabha seats-- three from Karnataka, two from Telangana, and one each from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. 

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi are certain to be re-elected, but the remaining seats will witness interesting internal contests. If senior leaders are sidelined, they may rebel.

Comeback In States:

Five assembly elections are scheduled for next year. Of these, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry are crucial for Congress, where it is in direct competition with other parties.

In Kerala, the Congress is facing the CPM, which returned to power in the last election, breaking decades' worth of trend of the state voting out the incumbent government. The party believes it will benefit from a double "anti-incumbency". 

The Congress is buoyed by its recent strong performance in local elections, but it faces the challenge of factionalism. 

The reputation of KC Venugopal, the party's national organisation general secretary and Rahul Gandhi's closest aide, is at stake in this election.

In Assam, too, the Congress has been out of power for 10 years and now, under the leadership of Gaurav Gogoi, son of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the party is trying to regain lost ground.
But the BJP's organisational strength and the polarised atmosphere in the state make the Congress's path difficult. 

The party is trying to corner Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the issue of corruption.

The Congress also has a chance in Puducherry, but it needs to manage local equations.

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, Congress is an ally of the ruling DMK and the two parties are currently locked in a seat-sharing dispute. 

A faction of the Congress is in favor of forming an alliance with actor Vijay's party, TVK, to contest more seats. 

However, the party leadership is in no mood to abandon the DMK, given the Opposition unity in national politics. Overall, the Congress is relying on the DMK in the state.

In Bengal, the Congress is out of the main contest. 

The party does not have a single MLA in the state. 

In the last two assembly elections, the Congress formed an alliance with the the CPM. Similar prospects are expected this time as well. 

However, there is also a consensus within the Congress party that it should contest all seats alone this time, as it has nothing to lose.

A Do-or-Die Year:

In addition, in the new year, the Congress will also have to formulate its final strategy for the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh. 

In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, but in all other states, it will face a direct fight against the BJP.