The dubious and selfish character of the parties of the I.N.D.I Alliance is coming to the fore sooner than later. These parties have made it amply clear by their activities that their sole motto was anti-Modi. These parties assessed in themselves that they alone were in no position to challenge Modi, even in their stronghold, so they forged alliances to remain themselves for their political survival.
After the Delhi Assembly elections, signs of many big churnings have started appearing in the politics of the I.N.D.I Alliance. This change can be seen and clearly understood in many States. This change is not going to bother the BJP and the ruling parties, but the opposition parties themselves. The first change was seen in West Bengal when Mamata Banerjee looked worried and scared. A big change is being seen in the politics of the opposition in Maharashtra, and many MLAs and MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) are looking to switch their side to either the Shiv Sena or the BJP. Many MLAs and MPs of Sharad Pawar’s party, NCP (SCP), are also standing on the verge of changing sides.
Signs of the biggest change are on horizon in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and the Congress party contested in alliance and performed satisfactorily. These two parties won 43 seats. At that time, Mamata Banerjee’s party was also a part of this alliance in UP and contested the Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat as an I.N.D.I Alliance partner. Both parties had some special and limited objectives in the Lok Sabha elections, and to achieve their objectives, these parties made a compromise among themselves. While the sole objective of the Congress party was to win the seats of Amethi and Raebareli, the main aim of the SP was to get Akhilesh Yadav’s family back into Parliament. After achieving their objectives, these parties the alliance between the Congress party and the SP has almost broken, and only its announcement is left. Both parties want the other to announce the breaking of the alliance.
The reality of the bonhomie of the constituent parties of the I.N.D.I Alliance came out in the open during the Delhi Assembly elections. Delhi Assembly elections make it amply clear that all the parties had formed a coalition in the Lok Sabha elections only to save their existence. There was no issue among them for the public cause. Even now, we cannot deny the fact that in the coming days, all these parties will be seen standing with each other again only to protect their existence.
In the Delhi Assembly elections, the parties of the I.N.D.I Alliance, the AAP, and the Congress didn’t even bother to negotiate for the seat alliance. In the Lok Sabha elections, these two parties were successful in reducing the victory margin of the BJP on all seats in the NCT of Delhi by forging alliance. While the combined victory margin of the BJP on all seven seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was 1115963 votes, it increased to 27,41,499 votes in 2019. Though in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the alliance of the Congress Party and the Aam Aadmi Party could not stop the BJP from winning all these seats, the margin of victory of the BJP was definitely reduced to less than half as compared to 2019. The BJP could make a margin of victory of only 1014331 votes on all the seven seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In these circumstances, if the AAP and Congress party had formed an alliance in Delhi in the Assembly elections, they could have tried to put the BJP in a difficult situation.
Though the Congress party was not contesting the Delhi Assembly elections to win but only to become part of the ongoing political process. However, the internal differences came to light during the Delhi Assembly elections, which was very painful for the Congress party. The constituents of the I.N.D.I Alliance parties completely ignored Congress, and extended their support for the AAP. Akhilesh Yadav, Mamta Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray, and many other leaders and their parties left the Congress party in the lurch, supported the AAP, and completely exposed themselves.
This is not the first political shock given to the Congress party by both Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee. Akhilesh Yadav did not consider it appropriate to give even a single seat to the Congress party in the by-elections of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee has given a very deep wound to the Congress party. In 2023, in the by-election held on Sagardighi Assembly seat, a Muslim-dominated seat in Murshidabad district, due to the death of the Trinamool Congress Party MLA, the Congress party opened its account in the West Bengal Assembly by defeating the Trinamool and the BJP. But Mamata Banerjee gave a severe blow to the Congress party in the State by including the only MLA of the Congress party, Byron Biswas, in her party and again brought the Congress party to zero in the State Assembly. Currently, in multiple Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, NCT of Delhi, Sikkim, and Nagaland, the Congress party has no representation.
Now, the politics of the opposition has taken a complete circle and has come to the same point from where it started. Now, all the parties are seen speaking in their own tone and exploring their own possibilities. It’s certain that in the coming time, they will again forge an alliance to compete with the BJP. Mamata Banerjee is looking at the Congress party with a lot of concern after inducting the only MLA of the Congress party, Byron Biswas, into her party. The Congress party will definitely take revenge for this insult and betrayal from Mamata Banerjee in the 2027 scheduled West Bengal Assembly elections. Akhilesh Yadav is also preparing for the spoiling effect of the Congress party in the forthcoming 2027 Assembly elections in his home State of Uttar Pradesh.
The political landscape of the I.N.D.I Alliance seems to be undergoing significant changes, with parties increasingly focused on their own survival rather than a unified opposition. Internal divisions, particularly between Congress, AAP, and other key members, are becoming more apparent following the Delhi Assembly elections and other regional developments.
