In 1998, the partymen were a disillusioned lot when they couldn't form the government. They were in total disarray from 1999-2004. Even after the shock NDA defeat, nobody expected the UPA to actually finish its term and come back stronger.
But 2009 changed all that. There was talk of the Congress coming to power on its own in 2014, Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister, LK Advani retiring, and the BJP disintegrating.
2010, to put it mildly, had other ideas.
Image: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, center, seconds a resolution during the 83rd plenary session of the Congress party in New Delhi, Sunday, December 19, 2010.
Text: Sunil Rajguru
Images: AP