The differences between the Opposition parties – who came together to form an anti-BJP alliance, the INDIA bloc – seem to escalate with every single day as the nation is inching closer towards the crucial and high-stakes Lok Sabha polls.
From parties going solo in the Assembly elections against each other to several leaders miffed over the seat-sharing formula, the INDIA bloc is struggling to keep up with every member of its alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The rifts in the Opposition bloc, INDIA, have been quite visible since the official inception of the group in July last year initially with 26 political parties, including 24 regional parties and two national parties, to fight the 2024 general elections against the saffron camp. While the leaders belonging to the bloc always tried to portray a united face in public, all was not good with the group and this, in fact, was visible at several instances.
No Compromise Situation in Assembly Polls
The individual aspirations of the leaders belonging to the group is suspected to be one of the prime reasons that could potentially harm the bloc. In fact, the group has already seen the brunt of it in the recently concluded Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana.
While Congress, the leader of the Opposition bloc, won Telangana with a massive majority, the victory was secured at the cost of harming its relations with the K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). The grand old party defeated its own ally BRS in Telangana as both parties fought elections on their own against each other.
TMC & AAP Miffed Over Seat-Sharing Issue
Some regional parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), have expressed their eagerness for early seat-sharing talks several times, but the Congress is delaying the discussions.
In fact, in the fight to retain their regional relevance and ongoing tussle over the seat-sharing formula, the bloc partners are planning to go solo in their respective states in the coming Lok Sabha polls. Trinamool Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced that TMC will fight alone in the state in the Lok Sabha polls. “We are not in touch with the Congress for Bengal. Let the Congress fight on its own. We will fight on our own,” Banerjee said, clarifying that her party would remain a part of the INDIA grouping.
On the same day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also said that Aam Aadmi Party will fight on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and will not compromise.
JD(U) Pitches For Nitish Kumar As PM Face
Shortly after the Congress’s poll debacle in three key states of the hindi heartland, JD(U) started pitching for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial face, describing him as the “most credible face” of the opposition camp.
Buzz Over Selection of INDIA Bloc
While speculations were rife that Nitish Kumar might take over as the convenor of the INDIA bloc, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was named as the chairperson of the Opposition-led alliance after a series of meetings and deliberations.
‘Ek Nischay, Ek Nitish’ Posters Over Opposition’s PM’s Face
Ahead of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc crucial meeting in Delhi in December 2023, posters featuring Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were put up in Patna projecting him as the key leader of the grouping. The posters in support of CM Nitish Kumar read, “Agar sach mein jeet chahiye toh fir ek Nischay aur ek Nitish chahiye (If victory is the objective, then we need Nitish).”
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