After five phases of polling in the 2024 General Elections, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal expressed confidence in the party’s ability to form the government. Based on feedback from the ground, Venugopal stated that the INDIA bloc, of which the Congress is a part, is well-positioned to secure at least 300 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. He pointed to the Congress’s strong performance in the South, Northeast, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), where the party expects to make significant gains compared to its previous tally.
Venugopal highlighted the key issues raised by the public during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, including unemployment, inflation, and women’s safety. He emphasized that the Congress campaign has focused on these concerns, which have resonated strongly with the electorate. He also criticized the BJP’s attempts to divide the country on religious and other lines, dismissing them as a strategy to distract from the government’s failures.
Addressing the BJP’s claim that the INDIA bloc would need to amend the Constitution to end reservation, Venugopal dismissed it as a baseless attack. He pointed out that the BJP’s own MPs and candidates had spoken about the need for 400 seats to change the Constitution, indicating their true intentions. Venugopal emphasized that the Prime Minister’s attacks on the Congress are a sign of desperation, as the BJP realizes its chances of victory are dwindling.
Despite contesting only 328 seats out of the 543, Venugopal stated that the Congress has made sacrifices to reduce the BJP’s presence in Parliament. He cited the example of Maharashtra, where the party is contesting only 16 or 17 seats out of 48, as a reflection of its commitment to defeating the BJP. Venugopal expressed concerns about the misuse of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to target Opposition leaders and the erosion of the Election Commission’s neutrality, emphasizing that these actions undermine the level playing field for elections.
In response to Prime Minister Modi’s claim that the INDIA bloc would have multiple Prime Ministers, Venugopal stated that the parties within the bloc will come together after the elections to decide on their Prime Ministerial candidate. He emphasized that the focus of the election is on issues that matter to the people, not on personalities or political maneuvering.
