Despite the Congress rout in the recent Assembly elections in five States, Sasikanth Senthil, who took voluntary retirement from the IAS and is the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee coordinator (frontals and departments), feels that the results will have no bearing on the 2024 Lok Sabha election. In an interview to The Hindu on Sunday, he said the party’s alliance with the DMK was ideological, and it would continue. He felt a larger alliance with anti-Hindutva and regional parties is possible to take on the BJP. Excerpts:
How do you see the recent Assembly election results playing out for the Congress in 2024?
These results or the outcome of any Assembly election may not clearly indicate what will happen in the Lok Sabha election. There is a lot of data that shows there is no great correlation between the two. Historically, the Congress has seen many lows like this. In 1998, when Ms. Sonia Gandhi took over, we were in power in only two States. In 2004, she was able to rally everyone and get back [to power]; 2024 is going to be an ideological battle in which many regional parties and those against Hindutva are going to come together. It will be India vs the BJP. The voting behaviour of people is a unique thing in political psychology. If the party is able to rally and stand with people’s issues, and with the changing world order where India is being surrounded, we cannot say the Congress itself won’t get a majority. It is an ideological fight. I would love for all parties who are against Hindutva to come together in the interest of the nation. The Congress will try for it. It will happen.
