New Delhi - The Congress party has suffered a massive blow in the Hindi heartland as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in the recent assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. While the results have raised questions about the Congress party's strategy and poll guarantees, the party finds solace in its win in Telangana.

The Congress had hoped to secure victory in the Hindi heartland by relying heavily on established regional leadership, with leaders like Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, and Bhupesh Baghel given a free hand in their respective states. However, the people of these states chose to trust the guarantees offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and backed the saffron party's strategy of relying on central leaders.

The outcome of the assembly elections has once again exposed the Congress party's inability to directly contest against the BJP. This setback not only worries the grand old party but also raises concerns for the wider opposition bloc in India. The three Hindi heartland states hold the key to 65 Lok Sabha seats, where the Congress and BJP will be in a direct contest during the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP lost all three states but still managed to win 61 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. With the people of these states endorsing the BJP in the recent state elections, the Congress and the opposition bloc face a challenging task in the upcoming national elections.

Another significant concern for the Congress party is the failure of its guarantees to convince voters in the Hindi heartland. While these guarantees seemed to have helped the party in the southern state of Telangana, they were rejected by voters in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, who instead favored the guarantees put forth by Narendra Modi.

Furthermore, the Congress's anticipation of leveraging the caste census as a trump card in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections faced disappointment, as voters in the Hindi heartland states, which have a considerable OBC population, did not respond to this strategy.

However, amid this setback, the Congress party can draw comfort from its significant victory in Telangana. This win allows the grand old party to strengthen its position in the south ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the Congress won three out of the 17 seats in the state, while KCR's party secured nine seats and the BJP secured four. The Congress hopes to capitalize on this victory in the assembly elections to improve its performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana.

As the 2019 Lok Sabha elections draw nearer, the Congress party faces an arduous task of reevaluating its strategies and poll guarantees, particularly in the Hindi heartland. They must regroup and devise a new approach to challenge the BJP's dominance in these crucial states, while also seeking to build on the momentum garnered from their victory in Telangana.