Congress turns 137 with less than 90 MPs in Parliament

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by Argus News

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In Odisha, it has 9 MLAs while it failed to open its account in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. Notably, the party was in power in all these states before except for Bengal

New Delhi, Dec 28: While the Congress on Tuesday celebrated its 137th foundation day across the country, the grand old party's presence has been reduced to just three states -- Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Rajasthan -- besides being part of the coalition government in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Alarmingly, the party now has less than 100 MPs -- 87 -- in both Houses of the Parliament.

As per the Lok Sabha website, out of the 542 members in the Lower House, Congress has only 53 MPs as against BJP's 301. In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 34 MPs besides having the leader of opposition status, though the party is completely outnumbered by BJP's 97 members in the Upper House.

The Congress has been decimated in the states too with regional parties taking its place in states where once the party held strong, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala where other parties have gained at Congress' expense.
The Congress is a junior partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra where it had ruled for 15 years as a senior coalition partner with the NCP. Similarly, in Jharkhand it is in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
The Congress has around 764 MLAs across the country, as against around 1,432 of the BJP. Moreover, it has been reduced to single digits in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh (7), while it managed to win just 19 seats in Bihar in 2020. In Odisha, it has 9 MLAs while it failed to open its account in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. Notably, the party was in power in all these states before except for West Bengal.

On the occasion of the party's 137th foundation day, interim party President Sonia Gandhi said in a video message that the Congress is committed to protecting the ethos of the country despite electoral setbacks.
Though the Congress has faced electoral defeats, the party will continue to fight, Sonia Gandhi said, adding that electoral ups and downs are inevitable, but what is enduring and lasting is her party's commitment to the service of all the people of the country.
"Let there be no doubt over our steadfast resolve. We have never and we will never compromise on our fundamental beliefs that are part of our glorious legacy," she said.

Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress has over the decades confronted several challenges. The party rededicated itself to the ideals, values and principles of the organisation that has been shaped, guided and inspired by some of the greatest and most selfless Indians of the 20th century, Sonia Gandhi said.

But the party's humiliating loss in 2014 and 2019 general elections has come as a major jolt, even more than the Emergency in 1975 after which the Congress was wiped out of power in 1977 though it managed to win 154 seats and garnered approximately 34 per cent of the vote share.

(IANS)

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Gehlot’s OSD Launches Scathing Attack Against Outgoing Cm For Cong'S Debacle In Rajasthan

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Jaipur, Dec 3: Lokesh Sharma, the OSD to Ashok Gehlot, on Sunday launched a scathing attack against the outgoing Chief Minister by holding him solely responsible for Congress' debacle in the Assembly elections, the results of which were announced on Sunday.

The BJP swept the polls by winning 115 seats in the 199-member Assembly to oust the Congress, which was reduced to just 69 seats.

“I am hurt by the results, but not surprised. Congress could have undoubtedly changed the customs in #Rajasthan, but Ashok Gehlot ji never wanted any change. This is not the defeat of Congress, but of Ashok Gehlot ji.

“The party fought the elections under Gehlot's leadership, giving him a free hand and according to him, he himself was contesting on every seat. Neither his experience, nor magic worked. Congress did not win with the help of his plans, nor did the immense ‘pink' campaign work.

"Despite being a three-time CM, Gehlot brought the party down. Till date, he has only taken from the party, but has never been able to help the Congress retain power in the state,” Sharma said.

And Sharma didn't stop here as he went on to use phrases like “cheating with the high command", "not allowing correct feedback to reach the top", "not allowing anyone to become an alternative", "continuously taking wrong decisions out of narcissism", "being surrounded by immature and selfish people", "ignoring all feedback and surveys", "allotting tickets to his favourite candidates", etc. to target the outgoing Chief Ministers.

“The results which came out today were certain. I myself had told this to the Chief Minister earlier, I had warned him many times, but he did not listen... In fact, he didn't like any person who told the truth,” Sharma said.

It needs to be mentioned here that Sharma wanted to contest the polls from Bikaner, but Gehlot had emphasised that state Education Minister B.D. Kalla should seek renomination from the seat.

Sharma had also asked for a ticket from Bhilwara, but was denied.

"I traveled continuously for six months, met people, organised dialogue programmes with thousands of youth, covered about 127 Assembly constituencies and submitted ground reports to the CM.

"I put all the details on the table so that decisions could be made by taking corrective steps on time... I myself had expressed my desire to contest the elections, first from Bikaner and then on the request of the CM from Bhilwara, the seat where we were losing for 20 years.

"But he was in no mood for an experiment. And for B.D. Kalla ji, I had told six months ago that he would lose the elections by more than 20,000 votes, and that's what happened," said Sharma.

5th T20I: Shreyas Iyer's Fifty Helps India Reach 160/8 Against Australia

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bengaluru, Dec 3: Shreyas Iyer struck a 37-ball 53 to help India post a modest 160/8 against Australia in the fifth and final T20I of the bilateral series at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium here on Sunday.

While Shreyas Iyer struck five boundaries and two maximums, Jitesh Sharma hammered a 16-ball 24 and Axar Patel blasted a 21-ball 31 studded with two fours and one six as India recovered from an early collapse to post a modest title.

Having already sealed the series 3-1 in the fourth match at Raipur, India made a decent start of 33 before opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent back by Jason Behrendorff for 21 in the fourth over.

Fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (10) was out in the next over, caught by Behrendorff off Ben Dwarshuis as India slumped to 33 for two after Australia skipper Matthew Wade won the toss and elected to bowl first in the inconsequential match.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav could manage only five runs while Rinku Singh, the hero of India's victory in the fourth match, failed for once, getting out for six runs, caught by Tim David off Tanveer Sangha.

Shreyas and Jitesh added 42 runs for the fifth wicket while he and Axar Patel raised 46 runs for the sixth wicket partnership as India reached 143/6 in the 19th over.

Brief scores:

India 160/8 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 53, Axar Patel 31, Jitesh Sharma 24; Jason Behrendorff 2-38, Ben Dwarshuis 2-30) against Australia.

(IANS)

Pooja Bhatt Wishes Falaq Naaz On Her B’day: ‘To A Lifetime Of Love, Laughter’

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Mumbai, Dec 3: Filmmaker and actress Pooja Bhatt on Sunday extended birthday wishes ‘Bigg Boss OTT 2’ contestant Falaq Naaz, and said: "To a lifetime of love, laughter, shared tears and much light."

Pooja and Falaz were seen together in ‘Bigg Boss OTT’ season 2. Taking to Instagram, Pooja shared a candid picture with Falaq and Bebika Dhurve.

The picture shows them posing in a natural retreat, with waterfall as the backdrop. Pooja is wearing a black tee shirt and leggings, while Falaq dons a sky blue cartoon print tee shirt and denim shorts.

Along with the photos, Pooja wrote: “We often look out of the same window but rarely see the same view.. and we sometimes find those people who see what we see, feel what we feel & are willing to witness life anew.”

“Happy Birthday @falaqnaazz Here's to a lifetime of love, laughter, shared tears & much light! And thank you #BiggBoss for granting me the gift of friendship amongst the many learnings & rewards you brought to my life! Forever gratetul,” added the ‘Border’ actress.

Meanwhile, on the film front, she was last seen in ‘Chup: Revenge of the artist’.

Congress turns 137 with less than 90 MPs in Parliament

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