Is Congress Party Doomed?: Will 2014 General Elections Be The 'End Of Road' For India's Oldest Political Party?

By Aniket Sharma | INN Live

Year 2013 has not been Indian National Congress' brightest year. Marred with innumerable corruption scandals and inefficiency, the party is passing through one of the toughest times in the history of its existence. 

Year 2014 could very well spell disaster for the Sonia Gandhi-led party. In the wake of assembly elections in six states and the Lok Sabha election, the party will be put through its one of the most stringent test this year.

Surveys indicate that the nation is passing through a massive anti-Congress wave. The surveys conducted by main opposition party of Congress- BJP and newcomer AAP- have indicated that 80 percent of the first-time voter will vote against the Congress Party. 
If that happens, the party could lose over 11.94 crore votes. The numbers are staggering, if we consider that in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections the party collected 11.94 crore votes. 

In other words, the number of people with anti-Congress mood is far greater than the total number of votes garnered by the party in 2009!

The results of Rajasthan and Delhi assembly polls indicated that the voters loyal to the Congress party have distanced themselves from the party this time. 

In Rajasthan, BJP decimated the Congress party and return to party with a thumping victory. In Delhi, the party had to settle for a mere 8 seats- a far smaller number than its previous tally of 41 seats.

Congress is the only pan-India party in the country. In 1977, it was the first instance that the party slipped to second spot on account of the number of votes. The party had to face its worst deafest in the history of independent India. It managed a paltry 34 percent votes and was uprooted by the Janta Party with 41 percent share of the vote bank.

Even in 1999, when NDA came to power under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the party secured over 28 percent votes in against BJP's 23. The disparity in numbers was due to the fact that Congress had contested election from 453 seats, in comparison to BJP's 339.

Analysts believe that year 2014 could see the repeat of 1977. It is possible that the Congress could lag behind a party or alliance for the first time in its history.