Although some leaders have raised questions over the credentials and competence of the members, the fact-finding panel team of the Congress party has started its work to identify reasons for the party's historic defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
After interacting with some senior leaders, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections in Jammu, the panel visited Reasi and Udhampur districts to ascertain the reasons for the party's debacle. Like Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Kishtwar, and Poonch districts, Congress failed to open its account in Udhampur and Reasi districts as well.
Out of a total of 43 assembly segments in 10 districts of Jammu province, Congress managed to win only one seat from the border district of Rajouri, where the party candidate Iftikhar Ahmad defeated the BJP nominee Vivodh Gupta by a margin of just 1404 votes. Congress candidate secured 28,923 votes while his BJP rival got 27,519.
Meanwhile, Congress's fact-finding team headed by Ravinder Sharma visited districts Reasi and Udhampur and interacted with party candidates, leaders, district and block functionaries, besides leaders of frontal wings.
Accompanied by the team members including Ved Mahajan, Jahangir Mir, Naresh Gupta, and Dina Nath Bhagat, the committee held detailed deliberations with the contesting candidates of the party, senior leaders, and other functionaries and grass-roots leaders of the party to know about the defeat of the party.
Leaders blame seniors for defeat
A young Congress leader talking to International Business Times dismissed the need for a fact-finding committee, arguing that "everything is crystal clear."
According to the leader, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, certain senior figures were fixated on contesting specific seats, leading to the party's defeat. Additionally, he criticized other senior members for backing these leaders and prioritizing personal financial interests over party objectives.
The leader expressed doubts about the committee's ability to address the real issues. "This appears to be a superficial move to calm down party workers upset by senior leaders who blatantly put personal gain over the party's success," he said, adding, "Those leaders neither won their seats nor protected the party's interests."
It is worth noting that on October 18, Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra, with the backing of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), formed a high-powered fact-finding committee to investigate the causes of the party's recent Assembly election losses in the Jammu region and to propose strategies to strengthen the party.
The committee, chaired by senior leader Ravinder Sharma, includes members Jehangir Mir, Naresh Gupta, Thakur Balwan Singh, Shah Mohammad Chowdhary, Ved Mahajan, and Dina Nath Baghat, and is expected to deliver its findings within 30 days.
