Ajay Maken, Chako offer to resign after poll loss

New Delhi: With the Congress continuing its electoral downslide, the party’s Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken and AICC in-charge of Delhi P.C. Chacko on Wednesday offered to step down. Internal differences, failing to counter the Modi wave that led to the Congress rout in the civic polls.

Trying to put up a brave front even after its debacle, Congress pundit took shelter behind its so-called “increase” in vote share. The party, which came down from 77 to 30 MCD wards, claimed that its vote share has gone up after the debacle in 2015 assembly polls.

“The Congress has made a reasonable comeback from the 9% vote share it was left with after the 2015 assembly polls. However, it’s lower than what I had hoped for. I take moral responsibility for this disappointment,” Mr Maken told reporters after announcing his resignation. “I resign from all party posts and will continue to serve as a dedicated worker,” he said.

Compared to the 2012 municipal elections, the Congress’ vote share has decreased from 30.5 per cent to 21.09 per cent. Mr Maken, who took over the reins of the party’s local unit following its wipe out in the 2015 assembly polls, had faced allegations of ignoring veteran leaders. Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and other Congress leaders blamed him for failing to take senior leaders along. While leaders such as Ms Dikshit and Harun Yusuf stayed away from the party campaign, former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely joined BJP days ahead of the elections. All India Congress Committee (AICC) Delhi in-charge Mr Chacko, who also announced that he will resign from his post, said that Ms Dikshit may be right in her assertion that the party should have been more aggressive in its campaign to fight the municipal polls. He said he will send his resignation to Congress president and vice-president.Mirroring the weeks leading up to the polling day, Wednesday’s results saw Congress leaders engaging in a power tussle. Ms Dikshit, who served three terms as Delhi CM, blamed Mr Maken for exclusionary tactics and said she had not been invited to campaign for the Congress.

“I’m like a son to her. I consider her my mentor,” Mr Maken told reporters in response to her charges. He alleged that Ms Dikshit and her son, Sandeep Dikshit, have been maligning him for years.

On the last-minute defections hurting Congress’ chances in the municipal elections, Mr Maken said: “We are biggest grainer in vote share, you can’t expect us to come back overnight.” In the last Delhi elections in 2015, the Congress won zero seats. Aam Aadmi Party, won all but three, which it lost to the BJP.