42 in 2011, 44 in 2016 and zero in 2021 - The numbers that you just read are not of the road accidents in a small town but the number of seats won by Congress in the West Bengal Assembly Elections in the last three elections. Even a Congress worker won't believe that the last time the grand old party ruled Bengal was between 1972-77. It has been more than four and half decades since the Congress made a mark in the state. While new entrants like Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have managed to develop a stronghold in the state, the Congress party's footmarks are disappearing just like something vanishes in thin air. West Bengal, with 294 Legislative seat, is the third largest state in terms of MLAs and have a fare share in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 


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While it may be a cause of concern for Bengal Congress workers or state party president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the same doesn't appear to be a topic of discussion for the top Congress leadership including the Gandhi family. It's evident from the recent developments that the Congress high command is willingly surrendering to the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee, considering the ruling party in Bengal a force to reckon with in counter to the BJP. However, in search of a shield, Congress has lost its weapon. 


The grand old party is now at the mercy of TMC in the West Bengal and it was more evident when the seat-sharing talks were taking place during the Lok Sabha polls. Mamata Banerjee not only refused to give a single seat to the Congress but also fielded a strong candidate against Chowdhury who lost the Parliamentary election due to the caste-religion equation. Banerjee has showed to Congress that she won't compromise when it comes to her party and its survival. On the other hand, what Congress has done is just the opposite. 



If one could recollect, the birth of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi can be traced to the anti-corruption and Nirbhaya protests of 2013-14 which led to Congress and BJP's rout from Delhi. The recent case of a doctor's rape and murder in the RG Kar Medical College of Kolkata is being termed as another Nirbhaya-like incident. This has ignited widespread protest nationwide, especially by the doctor fraternity and social activists. However, Congress has taken a backseat on the issue as the incident took place in a state which is a part of the INDIA bloc-led by the grand old party. While Chowdhury led a protest march, Rahul Gandhi issued a subtle criticism without naming Mamata Banerjee or the Trinamool Congress directly. To follow alliance dharma, the Congress party lost a weapon that could have proven a Sanjeevani or panacea for the party in West Bengal. 



A visit by Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to Kolkata and a stay there for demanding justice could have fuelled Congress workers' aspirations, and morale. While politicisation of such a heinous crime should not be done, but it's the opposition political parties and media which create pressure on the ruling administration to punish the culprits. Thus, Rahul Gandhi, as the Leader of Opposition, has a crucial role in sending out a message to the country that his visit to rape victims are not selective. However, the same was avoided to save the TMC-Congress 'not so cordial' relationship which could have landed in further jeopardy following Rahul Gandhi's visit. Even Rahul Gandhi did not name TMC, his statement on the RG Kar rape and murder case has already irked Mamata Banerjee and her party. The next assembly elections in Bengal are two years away and this could have been a better launchpad for the Congress party's revival in the state. Most likely as the precedents suggest, Mamata Banerjee will once again not ally with Congress in 2026 as well, but the grand old party is busy building a castle in the air instead of strengthening its grassroots workers.