NEW DELHI: The 2019 polls mark a serious setback for Congress with a second successive defeat bound to bring Rahul Gandhi ’s leadership under scrutiny while raising questions about the party’s ability to negotiate the increasingly polarised nature of political contests.The latest defeat to Narendra Modi will trigger bigger concerns in Congress than its decimation of 2014. On the backfoot against a rampaging BJP for the better part of its tenure, Congress had fortuitously managed a clean sweep over its rival’s strongholds in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.As it then stepped up its campaign focusing on jobs and the economy, Congress announced a manifesto full of schemes led by the populist flagships of “right to minim-um income” and “loan waiver”. It also managed to seal caste-wise alliances in states as a firewall against BJP.Given the backdrop and preparations, the tally of 52 suggests it did not manage to move the needle much from the 2014 rout when it was reduced to 44 seats nationally.The first question is bound to be whether Rahul’s relentless “chowkidar chor hai” attack on Modi was prudent. And whether the Rafale campaign did not distract from “jobs, NYAY and economy”. Riding on state victories, the Congress leader prematurely concluded that he could take on the PM in his own presidential style, with Rafale and chowkidar as the war cry. As many had suggested, focusing on “governance failures” like rural distress, notebandi, economy and unemployment would have made Rahul look like he had an alternative plan rather than just seeking Modi’s ouster.Post-results, the challenges appear fundamental.The no-holds barred, round-the-year Hindutva campaign by BJP and its sisfelt, denied him from gaining from the experience of veterans. He has since changed. But leaders say he still needs to be more sensitive to the ideas and opinions of others.If in the final analysis the BJP leader turned out to be more popular, then the feedback Congress gathered on public mood, a crucial input in designing the campaign, would be under scrutiny —it was ateam handpicked by Rahul. For Congress, the ‘dynasty’ is the mantra of continuity as it keeps the leadership above the fray. But then its strength is also dependent on the ability of its leader. That puts the onus of its revival on Rahul’s shoulders. Will he be able to shake off the tag of being a dynast and come into his own as an agent of change? The most demoralising for Congress is its complete collapse in seven states where it was in a direct contest with BJP. Together, they account for 128 seats of which Congress may win around four. After losing a string of states post-2014, Congress appeared to have turned the page with its December victories.The Lok Sabha cave-in reverses the gains and poses a big question mark for the near future, starting with as early as September when Haryana and Maharashtra go to polls. tionalism and Hindutva as a shortcut to success. It poses a dire threat to Congress and the “secular” opposition, given the way they are wired socially and politically. Not just Congress but regional parties like Trinamool and BJD in the east, out of the BJP’s arc of influence, are also facing the heat.Given the sweep of defeat, Rahul will face queries about focusing so much on Modi and Rafale that it eclipsed the basic message the party went into the polls with. When he first began to take an active interest in Congress organisation, Rahul came to be described by insiders as less tolerant of dissenting views. That, many ter outfits has made the ground fertile for polarisation. And there is little doubt that the Pulwama outrage and the Balakot air strikes helped BJP bring its nationalistic discourse to centre stage. Anti-Pakistan nationalism ties in well with the Hindutva messaging, especially since the rival had promised to review AFPSA and repeal the sedition law. Using these openings, Modi has consistently ripped into Congress, sidestepping any effort to put his tenure under the lens. So, how does Congress or the opposition take on BJP in future? The task is compounded by the possibility that the saffron leadership would be tempted to see nationalism and Hindutva as a shortcut to success. It poses a dire threat to Congress and the “secular” opposition, given the way they are wired socially and politically.Not just Congress but regional parties like Trinamool and BJD in the east, out of the BJP’s arc of influence, are also facing the heat. Given the sweep of defeat, Rahul will face queries about focusing so much on Modi and Rafale that it eclipsed the basic message the party went into the polls with. When he first began to take an active interest in Congress organisation, Rahul came to be described by insiders as less tolerant of dissenting views. That, many sisfelt, denied him from gaining from the experience of veterans. He has since changed. But leaders say he still needs to be more sensitive to the ideas and opinions of others. If in the final analysis the BJP leader turned out to be more popular, then the feedback Congress gathered on public mood, a crucial input in designing the campaign, would be under scrutiny —it was ateam handpicked by Rahul.For Congress, the ‘dynasty’ is the mantra of continuity as it keeps the leadership above the fray. But then its strength is also dependent on the ability of its leader. That puts the onus of its revival on Rahul’s shoulders. Will he be able to shake off the tag of being a dynast and come into his own as an agent of change? The most demoralising for Congress is its complete collapse in seven states where it was in a direct contest with BJP. Together, they account for 128 seats of which Congress may win around four. After losing a string of states post-2014, Congress appeared to have turned the page with its December victories. The Lok Sabha cave-in reverses the gains and poses a big question mark for the near future, starting with as early as September when Haryana and Maharashtra go to polls.