Ajay Maken, once a rising star in the Indian National Congress (INC), is now being seen as the architect behind a series of catastrophic failures that have left the party struggling for survival in both state and national politics. Once entrusted with key responsibilities in various states, Maken’s leadership has coincided with a steady decline of the Congress party’s influence, raising questions about his effectiveness and decision-making abilities. His tenure in the Congress has become a glaring example of missed opportunities, strategic failures, and political mismanagement that have contributed significantly to the party’s current woes.
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Sat 21 Dec. 2024
The Root of the Downfall: Delhi
Ajay Maken’s political journey is deeply tied to Delhi, where he started his career as a MLA then MP and then Minister. As a prominent leader in the capital, Maken held substantial sway over Delhi’s political landscape. Yet, under his leadership, the Congress party suffered a dramatic decline. Once the dominant force in Delhi politics, the Congress has been all but obliterated, losing power to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Maken, who was at the helm as the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President, was unable to halt the party’s downward spiral. His inability to effectively strategize or connect with the electorate has been widely criticized, and his stewardship of the Delhi unit left the Congress virtually irrelevant in the capital.
Rajasthan: A Midway Exit and a Broken Congress
After his disastrous run in Delhi, Maken was given a critical role in Rajasthan as the General Secretary in charge of the state. However, rather than stabilizing the party, Maken left his assignment midway, abandoning Rajasthan at a crucial juncture. His departure created a leadership vacuum, which allowed internal dissent and disorganization to fester within the Rajasthan Congress. The party, which once had a strong foothold in the state, soon found itself teetering on the edge of collapse. Maken’s inability to stay the course in Rajasthan and his failure to address internal factionalism left Congress vulnerable to the BJP’s advances, leading to yet another major electoral defeat.
Punjab: The Screening Committee Fiasco
Following his failures in Delhi and Rajasthan, Maken was inexplicably handed the role of Chairman of the Screening Committee in Punjab, a state where Congress still had some hope of holding power. However, under Maken’s leadership, Congress once again faltered. His inability to effectively select candidates and craft a cohesive election strategy led to a stunning defeat in a state where they were previously strong contenders. The loss in Punjab was a significant blow to the Congress, further demonstrating Maken’s ineffectiveness in critical roles.
Chhattisgarh: The False Sense of Security
In Chhattisgarh, Maken’s overconfidence and complacency became his downfall. As the Chairman of the Screening Committee, he was convinced that Congress would easily win the elections. Yet, history repeated itself, and the party suffered another defeat. Maken’s failure to adapt to the local political dynamics, his misjudgment of the opposition, and his inability to forge a strong electoral strategy were clear indicators of a leader out of touch with the realities on the ground. The loss in Chhattisgarh further cemented his reputation as someone who presided over the party’s collapse wherever he was assigned.
Rajasthan: The Second Fall
Despite his multiple failures, Maken was given yet another chance in Rajasthan, this time again as the Chairman of the Screening Committee. Unfortunately, the results were predictable. The Congress once again lost the state under his leadership. Maken’s repeated missteps in Rajasthan—failing tounite the factions, choosing weak candidates, and being unable to galvanize the electorate—led to Congress losing its foothold in the state for the second time under his watch. His leadership in Rajasthan has become emblematic of the party’s broader problems: disorganization, mismanagement, and a lack of clear direction.
Financial Mismanagement as Treasurer
Perhaps one of the most damning aspects of Maken’s active tenure in the Congress is his role as the Party Treasurer of the party. In this position, Maken was responsible for securing funds to run election campaigns both at the national and state levels but his failure to raise adequate financial resources crippled the party’s ability to compete in elections. For instance during recent 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, if Maken would have successfully managed to arrange funds to win in about 25-30 more seats in the Parliamentary elections, the Congress could have potentially been in power. However, due to the unavailability of funds, the party lost these seats, once again finding itself in opposition. Maken’s inability to fulfill this critical role meant that Congress lacked the resources to compete with the BJP, which has consistently outspent the Congress in every major election.
His failure as Treasurer has left the Congress struggling not only for votes but for the very funds necessary to stay in the political game.
Is There a BJP supporter in the Congress?
Ajay Maken’s track record raises an uncomfortable question: Could his consistent failures be coincidental, or is there something more sinister at play? His inability to deliver in crucial states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh an Haryana has led some to speculate that the Congress might have BJP supporters within its ranks. While this might seem far-fetched, Maken’s repeated and high-profile failures have undeniably played into the hands of the BJP, allowing them to gain ground at the Congress’s expense.Conclusion Ajay Maken’s tenure as a senior leader in the Indian National Congress has been marked by one failure after another.
Whether it was his mishandling of Delhi, his abandonment of Rajasthan, his screening debacles in Punjab and Chhattisgarh, or his inability to raise funds as Treasurer, Maken’s leadership has been synonymous with Congress’s decline. His repeated failures have not only weakened the party but have also opened the door for the BJP to tighten its grip on Indian politics. It looks like someone in the Party high command is very fond of Maken that his consistent failures are constantly ignored even at the cost of Party’s future.
As the Congress continues to search for its footing in a rapidly changing political landscape, Ajay Maken’s role in its downfall cannot be ignored. Whether it was due to poor judgment, political miscalculation, or sheer incompetence, Maken has left behind a trail of defeats that have pushed the Congress to the brink of irrelevance.
