"Needs a revamp... alliance with AAP was not strong enough," stated the interim chief of the Delhi Congress.

After the AAP-Congress alliance lost the Lok Sabha election in the capital, Delhi Congress interim chief Devender Yadav talks to Saman Husain about what went wrong, whether Arvinder Singh Lovely's resignation affected the results, and plans for the next Assembly elections.

In other states, the Congress and the alliance have performed exceptionally well. What was the Delhi problem?

We will speak with the local leaders to better understand this. We must comprehend what went wrong. Tomorrow, we will select the next course of action after meeting with a few grassroots leaders.

Did Kanhaiya Kumar's non-Delhi residency affect the outcome?

Since even Manoj Tiwari is an outsider, I do not believe that. Although there was limited time and a large region to cover, Kanhaiya did a good job performing his tasks. Other issues were the opposition's attempts to influence our employees, steal our leaders, and deter voters by setting up lengthy lines on election day. I will concede, though, that our union lacked sufficient strength. Restructuring the alliance is necessary; there are numerous things that must be done to make this alliance stronger.

What was the financial problem?

Without a doubt, we need funding, yet a large number of people stepped up to support the party and the candidates.

How did the party react to Lovely's departure?

Our cadre was no longer affected since he had become a regular defector. He could only hope to make a small dent by bringing a few more regular defectors with him. However, it is inevitable that our image will change if the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee steps down in the middle of an election.

What could have been done differently, looking back?

In addition to fortifying the alliance, fostering relationships with social groupings was crucial. We would have to establish connections with various societal groups.We attempted to set up four to five town hall meetings with women, teachers, professors, party workers, small business owners, and village inhabitants.However, we will now need to do it every day. From now on, we will also make an effort to announce the candidates considerably earlier so that everyone has enough time to prepare, including myself and anyone else who may be chosen to lead the party.

Many people were unaware of the partnership and, upon failing to find their preferred party's emblem on the electronic voting machines (EVMs), ended up voting for the BJP or NOTA. What caused this to occur?

Though it's too soon to address these concerns, there was undoubtedly a gap in our services. We'll have meetings to gain a deeper understanding of these matters.

What is the outcome of the Assembly polls? Will the Congress once more consider forming an alliance with the AAP?

We are unsure if it has helped us or hurt us at this point. We need to give these matters additional thought before making a decision.