Amit Shah: Congress losing polls since Rahul Gandhi took the helm
Synopsis
Home Minister Amit Shah didn't just rebut Rahul Gandhi — he turned a single press interaction into a forensic audit of Congress's electoral collapse: 41 years without Gujarat, 33 in Tripura, 54 in Bengal, and only 14 seats out of 4,600 in the latest Gram Samiti polls. His ballot-paper counter to the EVM row lands as Congress's own protest narrative struggles for traction.
Key Takeaways
Amit Shah on 13 October 2026 accused Congress of continuous electoral losses since Rahul Gandhi assumed party leadership.
Congress last won Gujarat in 1985 — a 41-year drought Shah cited to challenge Gandhi's SIR narrative.
In Tripura Gram Samiti polls held via ballot paper, NDA won over 4,000 of 4,600 seats; Congress won only 14 .
Shah argued Tripura's ballot-paper result disproves Opposition allegations that EVMs favour the BJP.
Congress failed to win a single seat in recent bypolls across West Bengal , Tamil Nadu , and Puducherry .
Shah predicted the NDA will win a landslide in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections , with Congress losing for a fourth straight time.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the Indian National Congress has been on a continuous electoral losing streak ever since Gandhi rose to prominence in the party. Shah's remarks came in direct response to Gandhi's declaration that he would persist in his 'fight to restore democracy' in India.
The Trigger: Tea Party and INDIA Bloc Unity Pledge
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi hosted a tea party for leaders of the INDIA bloc and civil society, where participants pledged to remain united in their opposition to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the NDA government over alleged electoral malpractices linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and what they termed 'vote theft'.
Shah's Catalogue of Congress Electoral Failures
Speaking to reporters, Amit Shah framed his rebuttal with a state-by-state reckoning of Congress's electoral record. 'I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that even after 41 years, the Congress has not been able to win elections in Gujarat. They won the last election in the state in 1985 and have been losing since then,' he said.
Shah extended the argument to multiple states. He noted that in the recently concluded bypolls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, Congress had failed to win a single seat. He further stated that in the Nagaon constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had 'snatched the seat from Congress'. In Rajasthan too, the minister cited a 'massive victory' for the BJP in local body polls.
On Tripura's Gram Samiti elections, Shah pointed out that with a voter turnout of 77.5 per cent, the NDA had won more than 4,000 of the 4,600 seats, while Congress managed to secure only 14. 'For the past 33 years, Congress has been unable to win elections in Tripura and has not won in West Bengal for 54 years,' he added.
EVM Row and the Ballot Paper Counter-Argument
Addressing the Opposition's long-standing allegations against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Shah offered what he described as a definitive refutation: 'These elections were held using ballot papers. So the allegations that EVMs help the BJP to win elections are hence proved wrong,' he stated. The Tripura Gram Samiti elections, conducted through traditional ballot, were specifically cited to undercut the EVM narrative.
Personal Attack on Rahul Gandhi's Leadership
Sharpening his assault, Shah directly linked Congress's decline to Gandhi's rise within the party. 'Since the time you emerged as a prominent leader of the Congress, and later on as the party President and LoP, the party has been continuously losing polls. Therefore, you should introspect,' he said.
He dismissed Gandhi's public outreach events — referred to as Chhatraon ki Goonj — as 'fabricated media events' and renamed them Jhoot ki Goonj, arguing they could not win citizen trust. On the INDIA bloc protests, Shah remarked: 'By gathering the cadres of 14 parties and gathering 8,000 people within a radius of 1.5 km, you cannot become the voice of the nation.'
He further alleged that Gandhi's stance on the SIR amounted to a strategy to 'protect infiltrators', asserting that the public had 'understood' this position. Expressing confidence ahead of the next general election, Shah declared that the NDA would win a landslide in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and that Congress would 'again lose for the fourth straight time'.
With multiple state polls on the horizon and the INDIA bloc's unity still being tested, Gandhi's response — and Congress's ability to translate street mobilisation into electoral gains — will be closely watched.
Point of View
Tripura (33 years), and Gujarat (41 years) in one breath, he reframes Congress's SIR protests as deflection rather than genuine democratic concern. The ballot-paper argument from Tripura is particularly pointed — it removes EVMs from the equation precisely where Congress had hoped to keep them central. What mainstream coverage may underplay is that the INDIA bloc's cohesion at the tea party and on the streets is a distinct metric from electoral performance; the bloc's real test comes in Bihar and Delhi cycle votes, not Gram Samiti tallies. Shah's '2029 landslide' declaration is also a pre-emptive narrative frame — the BJP is signalling confidence early, likely to demoralise potential opposition consolidation before it solidifies.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Amit Shah attack Rahul Gandhi on 13 October 2026?
Amit Shah responded to Rahul Gandhi's declaration that he would continue his 'fight to restore democracy', using the occasion to argue that Congress has been on a sustained losing streak since Gandhi rose to prominence. Shah cited electoral losses across Gujarat, Tripura, West Bengal, and recent bypolls to support his claim.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy that Congress is protesting?
The SIR is an electoral roll revision exercise that the INDIA bloc and Congress allege was used for electoral malpractice and 'vote theft' by the NDA government and the Election Commission of India. Shah countered that Congress's losses predate SIR by decades, questioning the party's narrative.
How did Shah use the Tripura Gram Samiti results against Congress?
Shah pointed out that in the Tripura Gram Samiti elections — conducted through traditional ballot papers, not EVMs — the NDA won over 4,000 of 4,600 seats while Congress won only 14. He argued this disproves the Opposition's claim that EVMs are rigged in favour of the BJP.
Which states did Amit Shah cite to highlight Congress's electoral decline?
Shah cited Gujarat (Congress last won in 1985, a 41-year drought), Tripura (no wins in 33 years), West Bengal (no wins in 54 years), and recent bypolls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry where Congress failed to win any seat. He also mentioned Rajasthan local body polls and BJP's win in Nagaon.
What did Amit Shah predict about the 2029 Lok Sabha elections?
Shah expressed confidence that the NDA would win a landslide victory in the 2029 general elections, and that Congress would lose for the fourth consecutive time. He also warned Gandhi to 'prepare himself' for that outcome.
