As the dust settles on the Bihar elections, two very contrasting pictures have emerged. One of solidarity, with the NDA bigwigs coming together for the grand swearing-in ceremony of Nitish Kumar; and the other of disarray, with the opposition INDIA bloc resorting to familiar bickering.
Most allies are seemingly unhappy with Congress since the party failed to mount any challenge to the BJP after exhibiting signs of momentum in the Lok Sabha elections last year.
The Congress’s performance in Bihar, where it bagged just six seats of the 61 it contested, has triggered serious introspection among the allies of the INDIA bloc.
The low seat count fueled speculation within the INDIA bloc that it may no longer be capable of leading a united front.
While some partners are questioning Congress, others have been considering severing ties with it.
Even regional parties such as Shiv Sena (UBT) have been questioning the dominance of Congress in the opposition alliance.
After the Congress announced it will go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Sena slammed the grand old party in an editorial in their mouthpiece Saamana. The Sena accused Congress of flaunting its “national party" credentials to reassert relevance.
The Sena also termed the Bihar poll debacle a “wake-up call” for the opposition
However, the fissures within the Congress started appearing much before the Bihar election.
JMM’s exit
Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced that it would not contest the assembly elections in Bihar shortly after declaring that it would go solo and contest six seats in the neighbouring state.
It had attributed its earlier decision to a "political conspiracy" by the RJD and Congress. The JMM had also said it would relook at its alliance with the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand. The JMM leaders had alleged that they were not treated as equal stakeholders in the alliance.
AAP decision to go solo
Months before the Bihar election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formally exited from the INDIA bloc. After its setback in the Delhi assembly election, the AAP had announced its decision. Its departure signalled both strategic recalibration and the changing dynamics within Opposition politics.
Calls for leadership change
The Samajwadi Party (SP) openly proposed that Akhilesh Yadav should lead the coalition. According to the SP, Akhilesh has demonstrated qualities they believe should make him the natural leader of the INDIA bloc.
SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra told News18 that Akhilesh “should be made the leader of the INDIA alliance because in the Bihar Assembly elections all the opposition parties have seen how he makes sacrifices for the alliance."
The SP also has begun pushing for a more decentralised leadership model, where regional parties have greater say in national strategy.
Even the Trinamool Congress wants West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to lead the anti-NDA political alliance. “I think the time has come to consider Mamata Banerjee to lead the INDIA bloc to fight against the BJP. It has no future under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership in the coming days,” Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee told The New Indian Express.
Battle of perception
Already a marginal player in the state’s politics, the Congress has slumped to a low point in Bihar.
Many political analysts say Congress should address its structural and leadership failures. Some party insiders also feel there is a need for course correction and effective internal renewal. With a string of failures at recent assembly elections, the fight for the Congress isn’t just about winning seats anymore. It’s about staying relevant within its own alliance.
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