INDIA Bloc: In States, Hum saath saath nahi hain !!

In a political landscape increasingly polarized between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition alliance known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, recent assembly bypolls have cast serious doubts over the cohesion, purpose, and long-term viability of the opposition front.

While the INDIA bloc was formed with the stated goal of presenting a united front against the BJP at the national level, the fierce electoral contests among alliance partners in the just-concluded bypolls paint a different picture which is of division and raises pressing questions about unity, ideology, and electoral strategy.

United in Delhi but divided in states?

The INDIA bloc comprises a diverse array of parties: the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (AITC), CPI(M), and others. Their joint appearance at high-level strategy meetings, press conferences, and rallies against the Modi-led BJP government has so far projected a picture of unity. However, the recent bypolls tell a story of intense intra-alliance competition that directly contradicts the bloc’s declared solidarity.

In Visavadar (Gujarat), AAP's Gopal Italia emerged victorious, defeating Congress’s Nitin Ranpariya, though the main contest was between BJP & AAP.

In this contest, two INDIA bloc members locked horns instead of working collaboratively—a contradiction that wasn’t lost on voters.

The tension is even more visible in Punjab, where AAP and Congress are in open competition despite being alliance partners. In the Ludhiana West seat, Congress fielded senior leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu, only to see him lose to AAP’s Sanjeev Arora.

Kerala & Bengal: Same story

In Nilambur (Kerala), the contest was more complex. Here, three constituents of the INDIA bloc, Congress, CPI(M), and an Independent candidate, PV Anvar (an AITC leader whose formal candidacy was rejected) were all in the fray. This level of disunity is politically damaging in a state like Kerala, where the Congress and CPI(M) have historically been main rivals.

Sooner or later, CPI ( M) and Congress will have to re think their relationship as they both form different sides in almost biopolar politics of Kerala.

Similarly, in Kaliganj (West Bengal), the ruling AITC’s Alifa Ahmed secured victory, but not without facing Congress’s Kabiluddin Shaikh. Once again, the bloc partners were at loggerheads rather than aligning against the BJP, which could have been strategically sidelined in such contests.

But what message does this send to voters?

This disjointed behavior sends a troubling message to the electorate. If the INDIA bloc cannot coordinate or compromise in state-level elections, how can voters trust it to form a stable, ideologically coherent alternative to the BJP at the national level? It gives ammunition to critics who accuse the bloc of being a mere anti-BJP convenience coalition rather than a unified force with a shared vision for governance.

Voters may rightly ask: If defeating the BJP is such a priority, why are INDIA bloc members so willing to cut into each other’s vote shares in state polls?

Is “anti-BJP” narrative enough?

The bypolls raise a fundamental question: Is opposing the BJP a strong enough ideological glue to hold together parties with competing regional interests and historical rivalries? The Congress and AAP have been bitter foes in Delhi and Punjab. The Congress and CPI(M) have a long history of hostility in Kerala. The AITC has consistently tried to expand at the cost of the Congress in Bengal. The INDIA bloc’s unity appears increasingly transactional—more about seats than shared values or vision.

If the alliance is to survive and pose a serious challenge to the BJP in the 2024 general elections and beyond, it must urgently address these contradictions. That means forging realistic seat-sharing agreements, setting aside egos, and deciding whether the alliance is a short-term electoral tactic or a long-term political alternative.