Just ahead of the elections, the state Congress is in complete disarray. The confusion over the resignation of APCC Nabam Tuki has further added to the misery of the Congress party. Tuki dismissed reports that he had resigned from the post “on moral grounds” after the defection of three MLAs to the BJP, but also told the media that he had offered to resign from the post of the state Congress president and is awaiting to hear from party’s high command. There is no doubt that the morale of the state Congress is at an all-time low.
The decision of party stalwarts like Ninong Ering, Lombo Tayeng and Wanglin Lowangdong has hurt the party, and the morale of its supporters has been hit hard. The Congress will struggle to put up candidates for the coming assembly election. The party seriously needs a change of strategy. The infusion of younger leaders with clear ideological leaning will help the Congress in the long run. It will be tough to match the resources of the ruling BJP, and therefore the Congress has to bank on ideological battle to gain any traction in the coming election.