Why could the Indian National Congress not become the official opposition after the 2014 election?

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Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them. — Indian National Congress Indian National Congress leaders Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Sarojini Naidu (right) on the Salt March in western India, March 1930.

Following the 2014 national elections, the Indian National Congress was unable to secure the position of official opposition because it failed to meet the minimum threshold of 55 seats in the Lok Sabha. This requirement represents 10 percent of the chamber's total membership, and the party's performance—securing only 44 seats—marked its worst result in national elections to that point.1

The party's significant loss of popular support was largely attributed to several years of poor economic conditions and widespread discontent regarding a series of corruption scandals involving government officials.1