Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, emboldened by his party’s recent electoral victory, appeared to believe that Congress’s success in Telangana was solely due to its campaign promises. However, the Delhi election results delivered a stark reality check, with Congress drawing a blank for the third consecutive time. This outcome highlights an essential political truth: beyond populist promises, the personal credibility of a leader plays a decisive role. And in this regard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains unmatched. The overconfidence displayed by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal—who once claimed that even if Modi were reborn, he still couldn’t defeat him—reflects a misplaced sense of entitlement. A similar arrogance has long plagued Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, whose repeated political reinventions have failed to convince voters, both in Delhi and across the nation. Revanth Reddy, a turncoat politician with a controversial past—including his involvement in the ‘vote-for-note’ scam as a TDP member—seems to have overestimated his own influence. His attempt to reposition himself as Congress’s national revivalist met with resounding rejection in Delhi.Despite all three major parties—AAP, Congress, and BJP—offering various freebies in their manifestos, Delhi’s electorate placed its trust in Modi, whose word has come to symbolize reliability. The BJP’s decisive win underscores the fact that mere populist sops are not enough; voters also consider leadership credibility and governance track records. Revanth Reddy and the Congress party have become the subject of widespread social media ridicule in the aftermath of their dismal performance.
One viral meme encapsulated the sentiment perfectly: it depicted Rahul Gandhi at a petrol station checking a fuel pump’s zero reading, with the caption, ‘Zero check karlo sir,’ mockingly referencing Congress’s electoral tally. The wave of online mockery extends beyond Congress to include AAP’s Kejriwal, further cementing the perception that both leaders have lost public trust. While Revanth remains the face of Congress in Telangana, attributing the party’s state-level success entirely to him is an oversimplification. Much of the credit for Congress’s return to power in the state stems from the failures of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government under K Chandrasekhar Rao. Corruption, nepotism, and administrative inefficiencies under KCR’s rule paved the way for a Congress resurgence. Revanth began his tenure in Telangana with aggressive reforms, including launching the Hydra initiative and appointing Ranganath as its commissioner. Initially, they took bold action against alleged illegal constructions, including KT Rama Rao’s Janwada farmhouse and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s medical college at Salkam Cheruvu. However, while swift in demolishing actor Nagarjuna’s convention center and other unauthorized constructions in buffer zones, the administration has been conspicuously hesitant in acting against properties linked to political heavyweights like KTR and Owaisi. Such selective governance risks damaging Revanth’s credibility and weakening public trust in Congress. If he is serious about delivering on his electoral promises, he must ensure impartial governance and maintain the momentum that brought his party to power. With nearly four years left in his term, he still has time to set the record straight—but only if he acts decisively and fairly.
