
Formed with much publicity to ascertain reasons for the party’s worst-ever defeat in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the Fact-Finding Committee of the Congress Party has failed to submit its findings within the stipulated time.
Instead of submitting its report, the Fact-Finding Panel is looking for excuses to delay in singling out reasons for the party’s historic defeat in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections held in October 2024.
Results for the 90 seats of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were declared on October 8, 2024, in which the National Conference emerged as the single largest party by winning 42 seats.
As the Congress won only seats, which is the lowest-ever tally of the party in the electoral history of Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra constituted a Fact-Finding Committee on October 18, ten days after party’s worst-ever defeat.
The committee was tasked with preparing a comprehensive report within 30 days, but over 10 weeks later, the panel has yet to finalize its findings.
Committee members visited the district headquarters
Members of the Committee undertook an extensive exercise by visiting various district headquarters to analyze the reasons behind the party’s dismal performance.
“Although members of the panel visited different districts to seek feedback from the grassroots workers about reasons for the dismal performance of the party, the Committee is hesitant to fix responsibility due to the involvement and laxity of senior party leaders in the electoral debacle,”, sources in the Congress said.

The formation of the committee was viewed as a significant step to introspect and identify the reasons behind the party’s worst-ever performance in the region.
However, the missed deadline and the continued delay in submitting its report have raised questions about the seriousness and effectiveness of the initiative, with many grassroots workers and political observers doubting the party’s ability to address its internal issues.
A senior leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We fail to understand the purpose of forming a committee if it cannot achieve its objective of fixing accountability for the party’s worst-ever electoral debacle. There is no doubt that the senior leadership must be held accountable, and fixing their responsibility is essential for revitalizing the party at this critical juncture.”
The leader, who was part of the discussions with grassroots party workers at the district level, claimed that the Committee reportedly came across a consistent narrative that “the senior leadership was largely blamed for the electoral debacle”.
Sources said that workers criticized the leadership for being out of touch with ground realities, sidelining grassroots voices, and failing to devise a voter-centric strategy.
“Senior party leaders were too involved in internal rivalries and personal agendas to concentrate on the campaign. The concerns of the people and grassroots workers were overlooked, leading to the worst defeat in the party’s history”, sources said.
Historic defeat for Congress in Assembly elections
Facing an existential crisis after its worst-ever defeat in the recent Assembly elections, workers of the party wanted to know the reasons for this debacle.
In the 2024 Assembly elections, Congress won six seats but the party won only Rajouri seat from Jammu province.
Once a dominant force in the region, the party is now struggling with internal conflicts. Grassroots leaders are pointing fingers at senior JKPCC members, accusing them of prioritizing personal and monetary gains over the party’s interests. This infighting is making it harder for the party to bounce back from its recent loss.