Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 26: The Congress faced an unprecedented setback in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections of 2024, marking a historic low with the party securing only six seats—the fewest in its electoral history in the region.
This dismal performance, particularly in the Jammu province where it clinched just one seat, prompted the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief, Tariq Hamid Karra, to constitute a fact-finding committee on October 18, 2024, ten days after the election results were declared on October 8.
Tasked with uncovering the reasons behind this electoral debacle and recommending corrective measures, the committee was expected to submit its report within 30 days. However, as of late March 2025, the failure of the Congress leadership to act on the committee’s findings has sparked criticism and highlighted deep-seated issues within the party’s organizational structure in the Union Territory.
The 2024 Assembly elections were a critical test for the Congress, which contested 32 seats in an alliance with the National Conference (NC), focusing primarily on the Jammu region. While the NC emerged as the single largest party with 42 seats, the Congress’s tally of six—five from Kashmir and a solitary win in Rajouri from Jammu—underscored a significant erosion of its influence, especially in what was once considered its stronghold in Jammu.
This outcome stood in stark contrast to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which swept 29 seats, dominating the Jammu region. The Congress’s inability to capitalize on its alliance with the NC and counter the BJP’s momentum prompted the formation of the fact-finding committee, chaired by senior leader Ravinder Sharma, to dissect the causes of this failure.
According to sources within the party, the committee’s investigation revealed a consistent narrative from grassroots workers: the senior leadership was largely to blame for the electoral rout.
The report allegedly pointed fingers at prominent figures, accusing them of being disconnected from ground realities, prioritizing internal rivalries over campaign cohesion, and failing to devise a voter-centric strategy. Workers expressed frustratio The dismal performance of the Congress Party in Assembly polls left the senior leaders embarrassed.
JKPCC chief, Tariq Hamid Karra had constituted a fact-finding committee to uncover the reasons behind this electoral debacle.
The committee has submitted its report but the leadership has not acted upon its recommendations.
The committee’s investigation revealed that the senior leadership was largely to blame for the electoral rout.
Despite these damning findings, the Congress leadership has shown reluctance to implement the report’s recommendations or take decisive action against those implicated, raising questions about its commitment to revitalizing the party in Jammu and Kashmir.
This inaction has deepened the crisis within the JKPCC. The failure to hold senior leaders accountable risks perpetuating the very issues—infighting, poor candidate selection, and lack of grassroots engagement—that the committee identified as central to the 2024 defeat.
For instance, the party’s ticket distribution in Jammu was widely criticized.These missteps underscored a broader strategic failure to read the electorate’s pulse, particularly in Jammu, where the BJP consolidated its dominance.
The leadership’s hesitation to act may stem from internal power dynamics and a fear of further fracturing an already fragile unit. Senior leaders, some of whom have held sway over the JKPCC for years, wield significant influence, and any move to sideline them could trigger defections or rebellions—scenarios the party can ill afford after such a bruising loss. Yet, this reluctance has only fueled discontent among the rank and file, who see the leadership’s inaction as a betrayal of the committee’s mandate to chart a path forward. The delay in submitting the report, originally due by mid-November 2024, and the subsequent lack of follow-through have further eroded confidence in the party’s ability to regroup.
Congress’s debacle in Jammu and Kashmir, coupled with the leadership’s failure to implement the fact-finding committee’s report, reflects a deeper existential crisis. With the NC-led alliance now governing and the BJP firmly entrenched in Jammu, the Congress risks irrelevance unless it confronts its internal shortcomings head-on.
The six-seat tally of 2024 is not just a statistical low but a wake-up call—one that the leadership appears unwilling or unable to heed, leaving the party’s future in the Union Territory hanging in the balance. |
