Parliament’s Winter Session To Test India Bloc Amid Bihar Loss, Upcoming State Polls

Even as the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc was formed to take on the Narendra Modi-led Central government during last year general polls, the recent results in Bihar and upcoming polls in states of West Bengal and Kerala will pose a challenge for the alliance. 

Even the INDIA bloc will face a litmus test during the Winter Session of Parliament over the issues like Special Intensive Revision of voter lists and ‘vote chors’ as being raised by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. 

The Congress had come forward in 2023 to bring several of the regional parties together to take on the BJP-led NDA at the centre in view of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with as many as 27 parties part of it. 

However, with the defeat in recently concluded Bihar assembly polls where the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left parties — all part of the INDIA bloc were unable to break the juggernaut of the NDA in the state despite raising the issue of the SIR and vote chori. 

The Mahagatbandhan or Grand Alliance thus received a massive drubbing with all parties managing only to get 35 seats out of 243 seats.

According to INDIA bloc sources, the assembly polls next year in the states of Kerala and West Bengal will also test the unity of the alliance as in Mamata Banerjee’s state the Congress will face the Trinamool Congress and also in Kerala where it will lock horn with the left parties. 

Congress had earlier announced the INDIA bloc was formed at the central level and that it can have alliances in the state as per their requirements. 

The debate started after the Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi in Mumbai on Tuesday said that his party will contest in the coming Mumbai civic polls all alone. 

Addressing a press conference, Azmi said, “We will not form any alliances because whenever we have, we have been betrayed and never received a clear alliance.”

He took a swipe at the Congress and said, “We have observed that in alliances, Congress is the main party. Congress has always broken the alliance with us just before the final seat-sharing decisions.”

And it is reason why we do not want a division of votes, he said, adding that we want all secular forces to fight together so that votes are not split. 

“However, the bigger parties only know how to take and do not know how to give,” Azmi added. 

On Monday, the Shiv Sena (UBT), which has stood in favour of the INDIA bloc since its formation, mocked the Congress after it recently announced it will go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. 

In an editorial in their mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena accused the Congress of flaunting its “national party” credentials in a bid to reassert relevance, even as its performance falters.

The Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena had formed a government in Maharashtra which then witnessed a major split following the rebellion of Eknath Shinde. Similar was the condition of Sharad Pawar-led NCP which had also witnessed split following the rebellion by Ajit Pawar. 

The sources said that the INDIA bloc led by the Congress will face a litmus test of unity during the upcoming Parliament’s Winter Session. 

The sources indicated that Congress will also try to find all the bloc partners ahead of the Winter Session to meet and decide on several issues including the ‘vote theft’ and SIR issue as the Mahagatbandhan had got a shocking defeat in Bihar. 

The response from the key alliance members that includes the Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, NCP-SP, Shuv Sena (UBT), DMK, National Conference, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and several others, will set the tone for the unity in the INDIA bloc. 

However, given the record of the INDIA bloc drubbings in the assembly polls since Lok Sabha polls last year will also be a major point of discussion 

The Congress had lost in Haryana with it getting 37 against BJP getting 48 in the 90 member assembly, the result of Maharashtra last year when the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP-SP that is known as Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) failing to win against the BJP-led Mahayuti. 

Only constellation for the INDIA bloc was in Jharkhand, where the alliance of Hemant Soren-led JMM, Congress, RJD and Left parties managed to retain power in 90 member assembly and in Jammu and Kashmir where the Congress and NC coalition formed the government. 

In Delhi assembly polls this year, the AAP, which was also part of INDIA bloc lost to the BJP and the Congress to scoring nil.

Following the defeat in Haryana and Delhi, the AAP has already maintained distance from the Congress as well as the INDIA bloc and that was visible during the Parliament’s Monsoon Session earlier this year. 

Even sources in Congress indicated that with a call from Rahul Gandhi to actor turned politician Vijay, who formed his TVK in Tamil Nadu, after the Karur tragedy has sparked tensions in both the camps. Even Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “hand” remark on stage has only added to the speculation if everything is all right between them.

Before the Karur tragedy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Salin alongwith party MP K Kanimozhi had joined Rahul Gandhi’s voter adhikar Yatra in Bihar. 

The source said that all the matters which has come to the fore in the last few months among the alliance members will be discussed during the Parliament session and then only clear picture will emerge. 

The source also cautioned that it will not be correct to call the end of INDIA bloc with setback in Bihar as there are number of issues on which all of the alliance members are united.

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