After plummeting to historic lows in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the Congress party appears to have internalised the lessons of failure to nearly double its own seat tally in Parliament and forge alliances that have eroded the Bharatiya Janata Party’s dominance. The foundation for the bounce-back lay in Congress leadership’s realistic understanding of its own limitations and a better appreciation of the political capabilities of its alliance partners. Smarter alliances as well as savvy social media tactics played a role in the grand old party’s strong showing, the top edit says. Read it here
In other views:
Ajay Chhibber says the election results signal that voters want inclusive growth and a break from polarising politics. Read it here
Nivedita Mookerji goes back to reporters’ notebooks to understand the surprise election results. Read it here
The second edit points out that a shift in paddy sowing is not helping groundwater levels in Punjab and Haryana; more initiatives are need for crop diversification instead. Read it here