Add to that its success in getting the government to agree with its views on Goods and Services Tax; the memories of the humiliating defeat in 2014 may now look like a distant nightmare. It has to still build on the big themes, such as secularism, tolerance and inclusiveness.end-of.Second, the Bihar victory came as part of a grand coalition in which the Congress was the junior partner. Across the country, the Congress has limited support among urban voters. If there was one state where the objective of Congress-mukti had been achieved, it was Gujarat. A march here or a statement there, to respond to events, doesn’t add up to much. Many Indians plastic mold parts are aghast and angry at the rise in communally-linked violence and the incendiary statements that Hindutva types have been making. Without good candidates and an organisational machinery that functions smoothly, no party can hope to win elections.

Questions arise: Is it willing to come out and lead a campaign against this rise in the communal temperature Is it ready to lead the way and make an unambiguous statement that it will always oppose any attempts to sow hatred Or will it remain mealy mouthed and soft-pedal on the issue For this, it needs to get back to its first principles, to unequivocally say it stands for a secular India.Take the Gujarat results, for example. Apart from Rajkot, where it was in a neck-to-neck race with the BJP, the BJP won comprehensively. The Grand Old Party has come back roaring in the district-level bodies, clearly showing it not only has the support of the rural masses but, more important, its own party structures seem in good shape.That would be a mistake. This will help in preparing for the 2019 elections. It has to revamp not just the party organisation, but also to clearly lay out what its ideological positions are.

For the Congress, any chance of a good performance in 2019 is still a chimera, notwithstanding the victories in Bihar and Gujarat. But building the party’s machine is one part of it; offering itself as an all-round alternative is another. Only then will the Congress be able to establish not just what it is but how it is different from the BJP. Only then will all those Indians who are worried about what is happening in India, but see no alternative, look at the Congress seriously. They clearly show that that the urban voter, at least in that state, is not enamoured of the Congress. Nitish Kumar did not fall into the trap of indulging in soft-Hindutva and Lalu Prasad Yadav took on the BJP for its attempts at polarisation. The “green shoots of recovery”, to use the favourite word of Indian analysts who try and talk up the economy, are anything but. The bigger question is — what does the Congress really stand for The Congress has not convincingly put forward its own programme on critical issues. They backed Mr Modi the last time, and there is a good chance they will do so again, unless another alternative emerges in the coming years. It played the catalyst’s role in bringing two arch enemies together — and more important, keeping them together — but did not lead the combine.The election results for local bodies in Gujarat have come as a morale booster for the Congress.