Why Opposition unity efforts against BJP continue to falter
New Delhi: In the past few weeks, several Opposition parties have once again pushed for the revival of the INDIA bloc or the formation of a similar anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) platform amid the ruling party’s expanding political footprint across the country, including in regions where it earlier struggled to open its account.
After Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s call for a broader anti-BJP platform, her political rival, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), urged the INDIA bloc to reunite. This was followed by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the Union government would collapse within a year.
Almost every electoral success or political consolidation by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appears to revive Opposition hopes of unity, even though many constituent parties continue to prefer contesting separately on the ground.
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Congress. However, the alliance failed to win any of the seven Parliamentary seats in the national capital.
In the subsequent Assembly elections, AAP chose to contest independently and eventually lost the electoral battle.
In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee had consistently maintained distance from a broader Opposition alliance in practical political terms, but recent electoral setbacks appear to have renewed her interest in Opposition consolidation.
The INDIA bloc emerged out of political necessity when Opposition parties came together to counter PM Modi, driven by concerns over what they described as the Centre’s tightening grip over democratic institutions and the rise of assertive Hindu nationalism.
Despite deep internal contradictions, the alliance initially celebrated slowing the BJP’s momentum in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the ruling party remained below the majority mark on its own with 240 seats.
However, any momentum towards deeper unity weakened soon after the results.
Parties began clashing over seat-sharing arrangements and regional influence. Several regional leaders accused the Congress of attempting to expand its footprint in states where regional parties considered themselves dominant political forces.
With Congress candidates contesting in constituencies where INDIA bloc allies expected accommodation, the grand old party was accused by some partners of undermining alliance discipline.
Amid episodes of cross-voting and internal distrust, Congress also faced criticism from allies who felt its leadership had failed to consolidate support among OBCs, EBCs and Dalits, while allegedly prioritising its own electoral interests.
Leaders such as Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav were also reported to be uncomfortable projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face of the Opposition alliance, instead favouring a “collective leadership” structure.
In states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, Opposition parties often fought fragmented campaigns despite calls for broader unity.
In West Bengal and Kerala, several alliance partners remain long-standing political rivals, making sustained cooperation difficult.
Recent Assembly election results have further tested the bloc’s cohesion. Electoral setbacks suffered by key regional players weakened some of the alliance’s strongest pillars, while simultaneously increasing concerns among allies about Congress becoming more dominant within the grouping.
Competitive positioning among alliance partners was also visible during seat-sharing negotiations ahead of last year’s Bihar elections.
Political observers say the challenge facing the INDIA bloc is not merely tactical but also structural and emotional, since several regional parties were historically built in opposition to the Congress itself.
Many allies continue to accuse the Congress of treating them as junior partners rather than political equals. Seat-sharing negotiations are frequently viewed by regional parties as being driven disproportionately by Congress calculations.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra generated political visibility and support in sections of the Opposition ecosystem, but scepticism over leadership and electoral viability persists among several regional players.
The INDIA bloc thus continues to remain a broad but fragile coalition of more than two dozen parties united primarily by opposition to the PM Modi-led BJP, while remaining divided by leadership ambitions, regional compulsions and ideological contradictions.
Each state presents distinct electoral equations, making cohesive Opposition unity at the ground level difficult to sustain.
Although Akhilesh Yadav recently endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the Union government and indicated that the INDIA bloc could jointly contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, political observers believe such statements currently remain more aspirational than organisationally concrete.
The alliance has not projected a consistently united political front since the declaration of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
