New Delhi: The results of the recently concluded Assembly elections have redefined the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political space, with the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, expected to begin later in July, likely to unfold against a dramatically transformed political landscape.
Since the ambitious Opposition platform, with an acronym INDIA, was formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the bloc has witnessed repeated strains and realignments, beginning with the early exit of one of its principal architects, Nitish Kumar, leader of the Janata Dal (United).
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and in several subsequent state polls, regional players within the grouping struggled to arrive at consensus seat-sharing arrangements. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), meanwhile, maintained that the platform was intended only for the Parliamentary elections.
Now, with the Congress breaking off its alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, the latter has decided to skip next week’s meeting of INDIA leaders in New Delhi and is also set to sit separately from its former ally in the Lok Sabha during the upcoming Parliament session.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress, which has largely stayed away from the bloc’s coordination meetings in Parliament, is set to be represented by none other than its Chairperson Mamata Banerjee herself.
This follows the Trinamool’s drubbing in the West Bengal Assembly election and Mamata Banerjee shifting her focus towards national politics.
The development has fuelled speculation that the move is aimed at keeping the party’s parliamentarians together after her faction lost the Leader of the Opposition’s post in the West Bengal Assembly to rebels.
In Tamil Nadu, the election verdict delivered a surprise, with film star Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) winning 108 of the 234 Assembly seats.
In a dramatic reversal, the Congress snapped its 11-year alliance with the DMK and aligned with the TVK. This prompted the DMK to formally exit the INDIA bloc.
With Parliament’s Monsoon Session set to begin next month and expected to take up important legislative business, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently holds 292 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha, with the BJP itself accounting for 240.
This comfortable majority ensures that the treasury benches can push legislation even as the Opposition INDIA bloc, which previously commanded 234 seats, faces increasing fragmentation.
The DMK currently has 22 MPs, the fourth-highest tally among Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha. The Congress, with 98 seats, remains the principal Opposition party.
With the DMK choosing to sit independently, the effective Opposition strength falls to around 212 seats. It remains to be seen which course the three AAP MPs choose to follow.
The other major Opposition grouping is the Samajwadi Party with 37 seats.
West Bengal adds another layer of complexity.
The BJP’s landslide victory, winning 206 of the 294 Assembly seats, brought an end to the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state.
Now, internal dissent within the party has created uncertainty, with several MPs expected to switch sides, according to claims made by Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, citing his “sources”.
The 77-year-old lawmaker was among the leaders who openly voiced concern over the rape and murder of an intern at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and supported the agitation that followed the crime.
With the Trinamool having 28 seats in the Lok Sabha, a group of 19 MPs could switch sides without attracting the provisions of the anti-defection law. In the Rajya Sabha, the party has 13 MPs, including Roy.
Meanwhile, the BJP has 240 members in the Lok Sabha, followed by allies such as the Telugu Desam Party (16 seats), Janata Dal (United) (12 seats), Shiv Sena (7 seats), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (5 seats).
In the Rajya Sabha, out of a total strength of 245 seats, the BJP has 113 members, Janata Dal (United) has 4, and Shiv Sena has 2.
Among the Opposition benches, the INDIA alliance is also likely to be affected by the split in the AAP, which now has only three members. Its strength will decline further with the DMK’s 8 Rajya Sabha MPs preferring to sit unattached.
(IANS)
