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Informist, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025

 

By Kuldeep Singh

 

NEW DELHI – The "Mood of the Nation" survey by C-Voter and India Today Group released last week shows that 65% of the voters across the nation want the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance to continue as an opposition bloc. However, the bloc of Opposition parties that came together to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls has been defunct, with no agenda, no meetings, and infighting between the allies. After the Haryana and Delhi assembly elections, where the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party contested separately, the Trinamool Congress also announced that it will go alone in the assembly polls in West Bengal next year.

 

On Jul. 18, 2023, 26 opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool, AAP, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam came together to form the I.N.D.I.A. bloc with an objective to defeat Narendra Modi led-Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Though the bloc didn't succeed, it ensured that the BJP didn't get majority on its own. The BJP's tally came down to 240 from 303 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, much below the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member house.

 

Many political analysts and even members of some of political parties believe that the bloc should have maintained the same momentum after the Lok Sabha elections and that there should have been regular meetings to chalk out strategies for the assembly polls. However, that did not happen. As Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rightly pointed out, no meetings are being organised, there is no agenda or clarity about the leadership, or the bloc's existence. In the aftermath of the Lok Sabha polls, allies termed the Congress party as non-cooperative and some even suggested that the Congress should be more accommodative to keep the alliance intact. However, Congress leaders countered saying that the onus did not lie solely with their party.

 

This led to formation of factions within the bloc. Congress on one side and the AAP, Trinamool and Samajwadi Party on the other. This came to light during the parliament sessions when the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool did not attend the meetings of the bloc and were absent from the protests called by the Congress party. Factionalism within the bloc was exposed when the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool openly supported AAP in the Delhi assembly elections and criticised the Congress party. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) also blamed the Congress for BJP's win in Delhi polls.

 

Speaking to Informist, Trinamool Lok Sabha member Sougata Roy said that there is no infighting in the alliance but there are some ego clashes and difference of opinion among the allies. "I hope after Delhi elections debacle all the allies would think in right direction. We, in Trinamool, always maintained that the alliance should support the strongest ally in the assembly elections. It will take time but things will change by the time the Lok Sabha elections come closer," Roy said.

 

There were total five assembly elections since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu-Kashmir, the Congress contested in alliance with the regional parties, in Haryana and Delhi, Congress and AAP contested separately. Out of these five assembly polls, the opposition won in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir and the Congress party's performance was deplorable.

 

Political analyst Prashant Kumar believes that except Congress, no other party in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc has a nation-wide appeal. Most of these parties are limited to their states. "Akhilesh Yadav campaigned for AAP in Delhi assembly elections but didn't have any impact. Similarly, do you think DMK's campaign in UP (Uttar Pradesh) would mobilise votes for SP? Or can TMC swing votes in favour of AAP or Congress in Punjab? There would be nothing to minimal impact of these parties in other states. So, what is the benefit of I.N.D.I.A. in assembly polls," Kumar said.

 

Maximising personal gains is another major factor in I.N.D.I.A. bloc's failure at the assembly elections. Accommodating Congress in assembly polls would shrink the base of the particular regional party in that state. And no regional party would want such a situation. According to a Congress leader, the Trinamool Congress was not ready to give even five seats to the Congress party during Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. Subsequently, the Congress and Trinamool contested Lok Sabha polls separately in West Bengal despite being the members of I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

 

Sudhir Singh, political expert, cited two cases of personal gains in recent elections. He said that in Uttar Pradesh by-elections the Samajwadi Party announced candidates without discussing with the Congress party. "Similarly, in Haryana polls, the SP wanted to contest two seats in Mewat region which have a significant population of Yadav voters, major vote base of SP. But the Congress didn't agree," Singh said.

 

Many allies have even started saying that the alliance was only for Lok Sabha polls and not for assembly elections. The Trinamool and some leaders of Congress party claimed that the alliance has no say in assembly elections. On whether the alliance will survive till the next Lok Sabha polls in 2029, Roy said it is too early to talk about it.  End

 

Edited by Ashish Shirke

 

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