Explained: How Maharashtra signals Congress’s continuing slide

Given that the party's first family, the Gandhis, had stayed away from much of the Maharashtra election campaign, the Congress, facing a battle for survival in the state, seems to have done well on strongholds that it had won in 2014.

Maharashtra Assembly Election Results 2019: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. (Express Photo: Anil Sharma)

Going by the results of Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Congress is relegated to the fourth position in a state where it was founded. The Election Commission of India website presently shows that the Congress has barely won 32 seats, a performance worse than its showing in the last Assembly elections.

The party might have to pass on the Leader of Opposition’s post to its regional ally, NCP, which has secured 54 seats, and has had a far better strike rate than the Congress.

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The Congress contested 147 seats this time, while the NCP fought 117. Given that the party’s first family, the Gandhis, had stayed away from much of the Maharashtra election campaign, the Congress, facing a battle for survival in the state, seems to have done well on strongholds that it had won in 2014.

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Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that the party’s main aim would be to keep the BJP out of power.

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