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From Nehru to Nowhere

To bounce back in Indian politics, the Indian National Congress requires a new leadership, along with a new vision and well-thought-of strategy.

By Dr. Rajkumar Singh | June 2023


The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in Bombay in 1885, is one of the oldest and most prominent political parties in India. Having played a pivotal role in India›s struggle for independence from British colonial rule, the Congress party emerged as the dominant political force in the country after independence, and it has been in power at the national level for several decades. Currently, the Indian National Congress is the main opposition party, having lost power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2014 general elections and again in the 2019 general elections. Mapanna Mallikaarjun Kharge is currently the president of the Congress. He took charge of the party on October 26, 2022 and succeeded Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving president of the Indian National Congress.

In the last one decade in particular, the Congress party faced several challenges, mostly in the form of internal conflicts and a rapidly declining electoral support across the country, coupled with the lack of strong leadership. Most importantly, it has been struggling to connect with voters, particularly the young people, and has miserably lost ground to the BJP, which has successfully tapped into nationalist sentiments and fared quite well on the economic front.

Despite these challenges, the Indian National Congress remains an important player in Indian politics, and it continues to play a significant role in shaping public discourse on such key issues as economic reform, social justice, and secularism. The party has also formed alliances with other regional parties to contest elections in different states of India in a bid to become a potential power seeker at the central level in general and to oust the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in particular. The power contest between both parties is due in 2024 when the next elections for Lok Sabha will be held across the country.

In fact, the Indian National Congress was founded by a group of intellectuals and political leaders who were concerned about the political and economic status of India under British rule. The founding members of the Congress were Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Pherozeshah Mehta, and some others. The primary aim of the Congress Party at the time of its formation was to provide a platform for the people of India to voice their concerns and grievances to the British government.

In the early years, the Congress party functioned mainly as a discussion forum and had limited political influence. In 1905, the British government announced the partition of Bengal, which sparked widespread protests and unrest across India. The Congress played a key role in organizing and leading the protests, which eventually led to the reversal of the partition.

Over the next few decades, the Congress Party emerged as the primary vehicle for India’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule. The party’s leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, led nonviolent protests, civil disobedience campaigns, and other forms of resistance against British rule. In August, 1947, India finally achieved independence, and the Congress formed the first government of independent India, with Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of the country. Over the next few decades, the Congress party dominated Indian politics, winning several elections and implementing policies aimed at promoting social justice, economic development, and secularism.


The Indian National Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, reached the height of its power and influence in the years following India’s independence in 1947, dominating Indian politics for the next few decades, winning several elections on the trot and implementing progressive policies aimed at promoting economic development, social justice, and secularism. Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress party implemented a range of policies to modernise the economy, such as industrialization, land reforms, and the Green Revolution. It also introduced several social welfare programmes, such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Food for Work Programme, which was primarily introduced to create employment opportunities and fulfil basic needs of the poor.

In addition to introducing economic and social policies, the Congress Party also played a key role in promoting India’s secular identity, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The party worked to promote religious tolerance and to prevent the politicisation of religion, which was seen as a threat to India’s national unity. During this period, the Congress party also played a leading role in global affairs, and Nehru emerged as an important voice in the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of countries that did not align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Thus, the Congress party’s policies and leadership during this period helped to shape India’s development and identity in the post-independence era. However, its dominance eventually began to erode, and it faced challenges from regional parties, social movements, and economic changes in the country.

Among the main causes of the gradual decline of the party, first comes corruption as it was the primary factor which led to the decline of the Indian National Congress. Several high-profile corruption scandals, such as the Bofors scandal in the 1980s and the 2G spectrum scam in the 2000s, eroded the party’s credibility and damaged its image. Among the other responsible factors, the Congress also faced a leadership crisis, with no clear successor to leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who had played a crucial role in shaping the party’s policies and vision. Recently, the party leadership has been seen as lacking in vision and direction, which led to a loss of support among voters.

In addition to its leadership crisis, the Congress party’s economic policies, which had helped to promote development and growth in the early years after independence, were seen as inadequate to address the economic challenges faced by the country in the 21st century, and therefore, it was criticised for failing to implement economic reforms that would have encouraged investment, job creation, and economic growth.
The Congress also faced stiff competition from regional parties, which emerged as a powerful force in many parts of the country. These parties were able to appeal to voters on the basis of local issues and pressing concerns, which the Congress was unable to address effectively.

Over time, the Indian electorate’s preferences began to shift away from the Indian National Congress. The party was seen as out of touch with the aspirations and concerns of the younger generation, who were looking for new ideas and leadership. The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was able to tap into nationalist sentiments and promote economic growth, posed a formidable challenge to the Congress party’s electoral prospects. For a bright future and prospect of the party it requires a lot of changes, especially on the leadership front as well as on its policymaking and implementation abilities. However, with requisite changes in the party leadership, along with a new vision and well-thought-of strategy, the Indian National Congress can regain the power, prestige and position it has miserably lost at the hands of the BJP.

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