INDIA bloc’s future in balance as results expose deep fissures
PM Narendra Modi celebrated BJP's Delhi victory, criticizing AAP's collapse as Congress failed to win seats. Opposition unity questioned ahead of Bihar polls.
“The entire INDI alliance landed in Delhi but while they stopped the Congress, they couldn’t save Aapda,” Modi said in Hindi to a cheering crowd that gathered at the BJP headquarters to celebrate victory, punning on the Hindi word for disaster, which he has been using through the election campaign while speaking about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Members of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, such as the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress campaigned for AAP candidates in the run-up to the February 5 election. The Congress and the AAP, both members of the bloc decided to contest the Delhi election separately.
The result — the Congress won no seats, and the AAP saw its tally come down from 62 in the last election to 22, with the BJP winning 48 of the 70 seats in the house — has caused consternation in the INDIA bloc, especially because the Congress spoilt AAP’s chances in 12 seats.
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, also part of the bloc, posted a cryptic comment “Aur lado aapas mein!!!” (fight amongst yourself) on X after the poll results came out, expressing his frustration. D Raja of the Communist Party of India also took to X where he said the result is a “wake-up call for the constituents of the INDIA bloc, particularly the Indian National Congress... and other dominant regional parties”. He added that “unity must be both ideological and practical...” And Sanjay Raut, of the Shiv Sena (UBT), another INDIA bloc member told ANI that “had Congress and AAP been together, the results may have been different...”
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With Bihar set to go to polls towards the end of the year, it is difficult to see the context in which members of the opposition grouping that took on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 national election, will co-operate, said analysts. The Left Front, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal all part of the INDIA bloc, are part of the grand alliance (Mahagatbandhan) in Bihar, and it is likely that the RJD, the largest of the three in the state, will drive a hard bargain with the Congress, they added.
The Trinamool Congress refused to offer any comment but a senior leader of the party from Kolkata told HT that the Congress has to accommodate its allies if it wants to take on the BJP. Emphasizing that the TMC is not an electoral ally of the Congress, the leader added: “Being the largest party, the Congress must instil confidence and allow regional parties to decide the nature and scope of the alliance. It is clear that the Congress can’t defeat the BJP.”
The results could also impact the parliamentary behaviour of the opposition parties. Already parties such as Trinamool and Samajwadi Party have indicated that they will not follow the Congress’ strategy in Parliament and will act as an independent pressure group of regional parties.
While AAP did not proffer a comment on the Congress, the latter lashed out at analysts who pointed out that it had played spoiler.
“The meltdown of a section of so called liberals is completely bizarre. They didn’t give these lectures on opposition unity to AAP when the party went to Goa, Gujarat, Haryana etc to fight elections and weaken anti communal, secular vote,” Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera said on X.
He went on to lash out at AAP.
“Delhi election result is a rejection of the Trojan horse that attempted to damage the liberal cause across the country. Majority of liberals are rightly cheering the fall of the facade so that the real champion of liberal values — the Indian National Congress — can emerge stronger to take the BJP on and defeat it.”
And the Congress’ research cell head Amitabh Dubey quoted Kejriwal’s tweet of December 11, 2024 that said, “Aam Aadmi Party will be fighting this election on its own strength in Delhi. There is no possibility of any alliance with Congress,” pointing out that it was AAP that “arrogantly” decided to break the alliance and “fight alone first”.
