A Severe Electoral Blow

The Congress party has suffered a severe political setback, drawing a complete blank in the recent by-elections held for 28 Legislative Council seats across four states. Despite contesting 12 of these seats—four of which it had previously held—the grand old party failed to open its account, raising fresh concerns over its organizational strength and regional strategy.

Our analysis of the results highlights deep structural vulnerabilities for the party across key political landscapes, most notably in Karnataka, Bihar, and Maharashtra.

Karnataka: Clean Sweep for NDA Amid Ruling Party Debacle

The most glaring failure for the Congress materialized in Karnataka, where the party currently holds state power. Entering the electoral fray for four total seats, the ruling party contested all of them under the leadership duo of DK Shivakumar and BK Hariprasad.

Not only did the party fail to retain the single seat it previously held—which was captured by the JD(S)—but the broader National Democratic Alliance (NDA) executed a clean sweep, leaving the state leadership facing intense internal scrutiny.

Bihar: Alliance Fragmentation and New Entrants

In Bihar, political realignment preceded the electoral rout. Following failed seat-sharing negotiations, the Rashtriya Janata Data (RJD) and Congress contested separately.

Congress fielded candidates in five out of the eight contested seats, having held one previously. However, the party failed to mount a serious challenge. Notably, the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency—previously held by former state Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha—was won by Prashant Kishor's newly-minted political formation, marking a significant debut.

Maharashtra: Contrast with Ally's Success

Maharashtra presented a stark contrast between the Congress and its alliance partners. Out of five total vacancies, the Congress contested three, while Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) contested two.

Despite two of the Congress-contested seats being historical holds for the party, it secured zero victories. Conversely, Sharad Pawar’s faction won both seats it contested. The disparity was starkly illustrated in Pune, where the NCP (SP) candidate for the Graduates' constituency garnered over 100,000 votes, while the Congress candidate for the Teachers' constituency managed fewer than 10,000.

Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena contested independently outside the alliance framework and similarly failed to secure any representation.

Uttar Pradesh: Complete Absence

In Uttar Pradesh, where 11 seats were up for grabs, the Congress opted not to field a single candidate. This absence comes despite the party's ongoing claims of parity with the Samajwadi Party regarding seat-sharing arrangements for upcoming legislative assembly elections, further fueling doubts about its ground-level preparedness.