An ex-Delhi MLA and prominent Congress leader, Alka Lamba has been active in politics for more than two decades. Having commenced her career as president of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), Lamba later served as an AICC spokesperson.
She now heads the All India Mahila Congress, concentrating on growing women’s participation in politics and strengthening the party’s grassroots network. As the political temperature increases ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, the Congress party is gearing up to make its presence felt both within the state and across the national political landscape.
Contesting 61 seats under its own symbol, Lamba stresses that the party’s campaign stretches across all 243 constituencies through its alliance with the INDIA bloc, in an exclusive interview with The Statesman’s Anurag Kumar.
Q. The Congress is contesting on 6 1 seats in Bihar. How confident are you about the party’s chances in the assembly polls?
A: On its own election symbol, Congress is fighting on 61 seats but that does not mean that we are only fighting in these seats. We are supporting our entire INDIA alliance allies, and in that sense, we are fighting for all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. The campaigning is in full swing. There is excitement among people regarding the INDIA alliance and its candidates.
Q. What, according to you, were the main reasons behind the Congress’ poor performance in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections?
A: Thanks to Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, if we talk about politics at the national level, people are moving away from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) towards Congress. In Delhi, we ruled for 15 years under the late Sheila Dikshit. Then, there was regime change, and in a democracy, it is natural, and we welcomed it. Arvind Kejriwal came and ruled for 10 years. Now, he is gone, and the BJP is here. Let us see if the state government will complete its full five-year term or not. The Congress, on its part, is constantly trying to make its presence strong in the national capital.
Q. How do you assess the performance of Rekha Gupta’s government in Delhi so far?
A: Whether it is giving Rs 1,500 financial aid to women, free cylinders on Diwali, or cleaning of the river Yamuna, the BJP till now has failed to impress. So far, the CM has only blamed others for her failures. Let us see how it goes.
Q. AAP or BJP, who ruled Delhi better?
A: You are talking about AAP and BJP. I want to add Congress to the list. The 15 years of Congress rule under the late Sheila Dikshit was the golden period for Delhi. Flyovers were constructed, the metro started, and it was a green Delhi.
Q. How do you evaluate the Modi government’s performance over the past years?
A: There was only ‘jumlebazii’ (hollow promises) and benefitting Adani and Ambani, nothing else. Neither black money returned nor terrorism stopped in Jammu and Kashmir. The entire tenure is a failure. It is now understood that with the help of ‘vote chori’ (vote theft), the Modi government is in power. Rahul Gandhi’s yatras are exposing the government. The downfall of the BJP has started. Bihar Assembly poll results will have a direct impact on Delhi and Modi’s politics.
Q. As head of the Mahila Congress, how do you view the current state of women’s political participation in India-from the grassroots to the national level?
A: See, there are two things – women entering the electoral field (chunavi maidan) and women using their voting rights. Women entering the electoral field is still not satisfactory because the issue of 33 per cent reservation for female is still not being implemented by the central government. However, it is good to see that women are increasingly using their voting rights. It is a positive sign.
Q. What are the key socio-economic issues women in India face today?
A: There are many socio-economic issues facing women in India. The Constitution has given us rights, but on the ground, there are biases. The security of women is still an issue.
Q. In your current role as head of the women’s wing, what are your top priorities(s) for the Congress in the coming year?
A: When I became the president of Mahila Congress, I started the online membership drive. This was the first time something like this had happened in this wing of the organisation. Today, we have 5,50,000 members. Now we are finding those women who are prominent in their fields and want to join politics. We are training women in leadership skills so that they can join active politics.
Q. How do you view Rahul Gandhi’s leadership of the Congress party?
A: Rahul Gandhi is an honest and visionary leader. He is ready for everything. He is standing with the youth and fighting against the wrong decisions of the government. ED, CBI, IT dept, EC, among others, are being used against the opposition. Rahul raised all these issues and received the support of the people, and this has weakened the BJP, especially PM Modi.
Q. Who do you consider the better politician – Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra-and why?
A: My favourite politician is still late Indra Gandhi. I have never met her, but I have heard a lot about her. However, I have learned a lot from Sonia Gandhi. Talking about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, they are motivating and strengthening leaders like us. Priyanka has reached Parliament and is doing a good job. Rahul Gandhi has turned into a mature politician and takes the PM head-on. We consider him a big leader of the future and also see the future of India in him
Q. Mallikarjun Kharge is the president of the Congress yet it appears that major decisions are often attributed to Rahul Gandhi. Your comments.
A: This is his (Kharge) nobility that he discusses not only with Rahul Gandhi but also with other youth leaders of the future on important matters. He also takes advice. It is a very good thing, and a sign of his big-heartedness. There is a sync between the youth leaders and him. This type of coordination is only visible in the Congress, not in the BJP and other parties