It does appear that the INDIA alliance and opposition bloc has gotten ahead of the game for the 2024 general elections, mainly focusing on getting rid of Modi from Parliament in the Lok Sabha elections. But the INDI bloc has been unable to galvanize against Modi’s hold in the INDI bloc. Beyond opposing Modi and obliterating his BJP, this alliance has no other intent or objective. The INDIA bloc has become something very strange, as this coalition deals with its members fighting with each other as seen in Congress and AAP in the recent Delhi elections. Congress and AAP, which are both part of the INDIA bloc, did not fight the key Delhi polls together. Instead, they fought separately that goes against the spirit of their alliance. Instead, Congress decided to field candidates against AAP, which reduced the votes that AAP would have gotten. So, the outcome of the Congress AAP fight benefited the BJP as they had 48 assembly seats in the recent Delhi elections. Aam Aadmi Party only managed 22 seats which is short of the 36 needed to form a government. In fact, Congress was the big loser as they did not win any seats shocking this long established party at all.
The Aam Admi party was unable to get a considerable number of assembly seats due to Congress taking away votes that would have been given to AAP. This vote disintegration, that Arvind Kejriwal as well as other leaders from AAP have claimed greatly impacted their electoral defeat, aided the BJP in acquiring a significant number of seats. The election outcomes communicated effectively to the INDIA alliance the internal strife that continues to persist amongst its constituents. Congress has alleged that there is severe contention in Punjab between two members of the INDIA bloc, with Congress claiming that 30 AAP MLAs are in contact with them and may soon leave AAP. This threatens the survival of the AAP government of Bhagwant Mann. The INDIA alliance fractures also seem to spread from the capital to Punjab, Maharashtra and West Bengal, which implies the alliance is fundamentally weak. The existence of these growing tensions on a national level is harmful to the opposition and proves that the INDIA bloc is resting underneath its own sinkhole. The opportunistic and self-serving nature of this alliance suggests it may soon disintegrate, which would be a significant setback for the entire opposition. Furthermore, the lack of unity within the INDIA bloc is evident, as Congress leaders expAmerica’s block’s two defeats have sapped their energy and created open differences among Congress leaders. Some Congress leaders stuck to the party’s defence saying that AAP was unwilling to contest in an alliance during the assembly elections, but many others chose to rethink their more addressable strategies. Many emphasized that alliance was made for Indian parliament in 2024, therefore state elections, with their specific nuances, render the building of an alliance at those levels unnecessary and illogical as coalition partners can contest for state legislative assemblies single handedly. I, Manickam Tagore, Congress MP and whip to the Lok Sabha, sought to explain this to my colleagues in the bloc, stating that that was precisely why the coalition was formed so many different plans can be executed in various states. While we used to, there was no such partnership between AAP and Congress in the last Delhi polls, nor was there one in Punjab. With results of Delhi’s assembly elections something else has become clear, the credibility of the INDIA block is now in question since they demonstrate major fractures within the other alliance.
PM Modi lambasted AAP towards the end, focusing with disdain on the fact that Congress failed to secure a single seat and raised the question of the opposition’s credibility before the Bihar elections. As it turns out, none of the leaders from the INDIA alliance was able to come out in support of Congress, which tried to escape the whole debacle without much effort, and and attend the meeting in Delhi. Instead, SP and TMC leaders went to support AAP candidates and not Congress. Congress’s performance was a disaster, and AAP’s results were a far cry from their 2020 Delhi polls, achieving a mere 22 assembly seats. This has created a sense of panic in the INDIA bloc, especially as Congress has been able to successfully sabotage AAP's prospects in twelve states. A NC member, the chief minister of J&K and a partner in the INDIA bloc summarized the situation with great concern when he said, “Aur lado aapas mein!!!” While the rest of us are left contemplating the statement. D Raja from the Communist Party commented that the election results of Delhi should serve as a reminder to the constituents of the bloc and especially to Congress.
He further reiterated that unity among the alliance partners should be both ideological and practical. The RJD is always considered a major player in Bihar and is likely to negotiate with Congress for a larger share of seats thar potentially leaving Congress with fewer. It seems unlikely that they will be able to counter the JD-U and NDA alliance in the Bihar elections, primarily due to the lack of unity among the various members of the Mahaghatbandhan. The results from Delhi could impact how opposition parties behave in Parliament, as both SP and TMC have indicated they will not adhere to Congress's strategy and will operate as independent regional pressure groups. Recently, TMC did not support the opposition alliance, causing chaos in Parliament as it sought to address issues specific to West Bengal. However, the ongoing obstruction of parliamentary proceedings due to the stubbornness of the opposition alliance has prevented Mamata’s TMC MPs from raising critical issues affecting West Bengal. This situation highlights the growing divide among the opposition alliance members. The party led by Mamata Banerjee wanted Parliament to function effectively to voice the concerns of West Bengal's citizens, but that did not occur, leading to a continued stalemate. The recent electoral setbacks faced by the three constituents of the INDIA bloc have plunged them into a survival crisis.
Moreover, it is to be seen that the tension among the alliance partners of INDIA is growing and with many pointing fingers at the largest opposition party in the grand alliance for its role in the BJP’s success in the Delhi polls. Worthwhile to mention here that the current AAP's defeat and the Congress's humiliating loss in the Delhi assembly elections have created even more challenges for the already struggling INDIA bloc. This situation reveals that all is not well within the INDIA bloc and there seems increasing tensions and conflicts among the various members of the opposition alliance which is not a positive development in any sense. The future of the INDIA bloc looks uncertain and bleak unless its members take effective steps to address these issues. Leaders of the INDIA alliance need to focus on uniting their own coalition rather than solely criticizing the NDA/BJP which is the only way left out for them to maintain its dignity and success in future.
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