Delhi Congress Leader Pledges to Rebuild Party and Regain Public Trust After Electoral Loss

New Delhi, Feb 10 (NationPress) Following the disappointing results of the Congress party in the Delhi Assembly elections, where they fell short of a significant vote share, the Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav expressed a hopeful outlook for the future and pledged to regain the confidence of the public.

In an interview with IANS, Devender Yadav outlined the party's future strategy, recognizing the formidable competition from the BJP and AAP. While the BJP celebrated a sweeping victory and AAP took second place, Congress found it challenging to make an impact.

"There are two points to consider. I am pleased that our members campaigned effectively," Yadav remarked.

"Throughout the election, we felt it was a triangular contest. We managed to boost our vote share by 2 percent, which is significant for us. The votes we anticipated did come our way, leading to progress. However, it seems that many voters chose AAP as the better alternative to prevent a BJP win, resulting in a loss of our minority and Dalit votes to AAP."

Despite the challenges, Yadav remains optimistic about the future of Congress, pledging to enhance the party's influence in Delhi.

"In the upcoming period, we will intensify our efforts. We are determined to regain the trust of the people and demonstrate that Congress is their best option. We will continue to work diligently to win their confidence."

The election results highlighted a concerning statistic: of the 699 candidates running in the Delhi Assembly elections, 555 lost their deposits. Congress candidates were unable to retain their deposits in all but three constituencies.

Reflecting on these results, Yadav stated, "We had anticipated that the minority and Dalit voters would support Congress. However, we were not perceived as a viable option for forming the government, leading to those votes shifting to AAP. Nonetheless, I am confident that this perception will change over time, and our situation will improve."

The Delhi Congress chief also addressed criticism from Shiv Sena, which questioned Congress's decision to partake in the Delhi elections, with some party members suggesting that Congress's involvement merely aided AAP by splitting the vote.

Yadav countered, "I firmly believe that one must visit Delhi to grasp the realities of the AAP governance. If they had experienced the situation firsthand, their opinions might differ. We contested the election because we felt it was essential to assert our position. All parties engage in elections, and we gave it our all."

In response to AAP's accusations that Congress focused exclusively on criticizing AAP during the campaign, Yadav clarified, "Indeed, we concentrated more on AAP, particularly since they were in power. Our aim was to hold the AAP government accountable on issues such as inflation and unemployment, as they were responsible for both Delhi and the Municipal Corporation."

When asked about remarks from senior Congress figure Tariq Anwar, who expressed concerns regarding the need for changes in the party's structure post-defeat, Yadav responded, "We all agreed that each party should fight for itself. We did just that, and we will continue to do so."

Yadav concluded by reaffirming Congress's role as the primary Opposition in Delhi.

"We have always fulfilled our duty as the main opposition, and we will do so with greater vigor moving forward," he concluded.