The electoral contraction of the Indian National Congress represents not merely a party’s decline, but a systemic reconfiguration of Indian political competition. For decades, Congress functioned as: ● The primary national integrator ● A federal umbrella organization ● A coalition aggregator ● A cross-regional patronage network Its decline has unfolded gradually, accelerating after 2014, but rooted in structural shifts preceding that year. This report argues: Congress’ decline is best understood as a crisis of organizational depth in an era of permanent political machinery and executive centralization. This is a structural study. It is not a moral evaluation, nor an endorsement of rival frameworks.