The Congress party's struggles in Haryana have only deepened, as it failed to win a single mayoral seat in the recently concluded municipal elections. The BJP, on the other hand, secured nine out of ten mayoral posts, with the remaining one going to an Independent. This landslide defeat comes on the heels of Congress’s third consecutive Assembly election loss to the BJP last year, in a contest many believed it had a strong chance of winning.

Party insiders and analysts point to internal conflicts and a lack of organizational strength as the primary reasons behind this poor performance. Even five months after the Assembly election defeat, the Congress high command has not been able to resolve internal disputes or even appoint a Legislature Party leader, frustrating party members. Sampat Singh, a senior Congress leader and former six-time MLA, expressed his disappointment, urging the leadership to act quickly. "A strong and united party structure must be built as soon as possible. We need to boost the morale of our workers across the state," he emphasized.

This defeat is particularly embarrassing for Congress because, unlike previous municipal elections, the party chose to field candidates on its official symbol, hoping to consolidate its voter base. However, some leaders had warned against this decision, fearing that a loss so soon after the BJP’s Assembly victory would further expose the party’s weaknesses.

One Congress leader, speaking anonymously, pointed out that the party’s lack of seriousness was evident in places like Hisar, where it did not even field candidates in some wards. Another senior leader, Ajay Singh Yadav, argued that the results might have been different if the civic polls had been held later, rather than immediately following the Assembly elections. He also blamed the State Election Commission for not accepting Congress’s demand to use ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Despite these concerns, Yadav admitted that Congress’s weak grassroots organization played a significant role in its defeat.

The party's internal divisions were on full display in the lead-up to the elections. A list of district incharges released by state Congress chief Udai Bhan was opposed by AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria, who insisted that all state leaders' recommendations should be considered. In response, Babaria issued a separate list of district incharges and committees in January, which in turn was challenged by Congress MP Varun Choudhary. He claimed that some individuals on the list weren’t even party members and had contested against Congress in the last Assembly elections.

Some veteran Congress leaders believe the party functioned smoothly at the grassroots level until 2014, when Phool Chand Mullana, a close ally of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was state president. They argue that internal divisions began surfacing after Mullana was replaced by Ashok Tanwar, sparking factionalism within the party. The infighting continued even after subsequent leadership changes, with Kumari Selja taking over and later being replaced by Hooda loyalist Udai Bhan.

Following the Assembly defeat, former Union minister Birender Singh, who recently returned to Congress from the BJP, openly acknowledged that internal conflicts were the primary reason for the party’s repeated electoral failures. Unless these deep-seated issues are addressed, Congress’s downward spiral in Haryana seems unlikely to end.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from The Indian Express.