With campaigning for crucial municipal elections intensifying across Maharashtra, the Indian National Congress finds itself in a challenging position in the Vidarbha region. Political observers note a significant and visible absence of the party's announced star campaigners from the ground, a development that could impact its hopes for a political revival in this important area.
Leaders Missing from the Campaign Trail
Despite releasing an expansive list of senior leaders and national figures designated as star campaigners, their physical presence in key Vidarbha cities like Nagpur and Amravati has been notably muted. Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal visited Nagpur on Tuesday, January 9, but his engagement was limited. He released the party's manifesto for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) polls but did not address any public rally. His activities were confined to meetings with party candidates at the Mahakalkar Sabhagruh.
The following day, Sapkal held internal meetings and addressed the media in Amravati, again without undertaking any mass outreach program. This pattern of low-key engagement extends to other prominent leaders. Key figures such as Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, general secretary Mukul Wasnik, and former chief ministers Sachin Pilot and Prithviraj Chavan have not been seen campaigning in Vidarbha so far.
Even senior regional leaders have maintained a low profile. Former Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Presidents Nana Patole and Manikrao Thakre have been largely absent from the campaign trail. Wadettiwar's efforts were mainly confined to Chandrapur district. Experienced leaders and former ministers like Nitin Raut and Sunil Kedar have also had limited visibility.
Party Defense and Decentralized Strategy
Defending the party's approach, State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal stated that national leaders like party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would not campaign in local body elections. "These national leaders are not supposed to address rallies for local elections," he told TOI. He contrasted this with the BJP's strategy, alleging that the ruling party was bringing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mumbai "to please the Jain community, which is upset with the party."
Sapkal outlined a decentralized campaign plan, assigning senior leaders to oversee specific regions. He mentioned that MP Imran Pratapgadhi would campaign in Nagpur, Chandrapur, and Amravati on January 10 and 11. "Leaders like former minister Sunil Deshmukh and ex-MLC Yashomati Thakur are taking care of Amravati. Others like Satej Patil are handling Pune, Sangli and Kolhapur, while Amit Deshmukh is overseeing Latur, Nanded and Parbhani. Arif Nasim Khan is taking care of Konkan," Sapkal explained. He added that he himself would campaign in Parbhani, Jalna, Ahilyanagar, Latur, Bhiwandi, and other cities in the coming days.
Observers Point to Strategic Handicaps
Political observers remain skeptical of this approach and point to broader strategic issues. They highlight the Congress's failure to forge electoral alliances with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena as a significant handicap. "Without visible national leadership and alliances, the Congress looks disadvantaged against a highly mobilised BJP," one observer noted.
Critics argue that the party has not learned from recent electoral experiences. "The party did not learn its lessons. Even in local body polls last month, (Deputy CM) Devendra Fadnavis and other top BJP leaders addressed rallies extensively. The CM himself said he went to 1 village to address 10,000 people," another observer pointed out, emphasizing the contrast in grassroots mobilization efforts between the two major parties.
The Congress's campaign list also included leaders from outside Maharashtra, such as Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, veteran actor Raj Babbar, and former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin, along with Amin Patel, Jignesh Mevani, and Kanhaiya Kumar. However, their active participation in the Vidarbha campaign trail remains unconfirmed, adding to the concerns about the party's ground-level momentum as polling day approaches.
