INDIA bloc to go below 200? Congress faces revolt from allies, CJP enters the debate

Not all's well within the opposition INDIA bloc. The opposition bloc is in the throes of an internal crisis and is now staring at the prospect of its Lok Sabha seats falling below the 200-mark.

This does not seem to be far-fetched, as the DMK's recent exit and the three-member AAP's quitting the INDIA alliance have already reduced the bloc's Lok Sabha strength from 234 in 2024 to 209. Moreover, the likelihood of two-thirds of Trinamool Congress's (TMC) 29 MPs breaking away would lead to the Opposition alliance going below even the 190-mark, The Economic Times reported. 

Leaders within the alliance admitted that coordination issues and competing regional ambitions have hurt cohesion in the alliance, putting a question mark on the INDIA bloc's ability to present a united challenge to the NDA ahead of future elections. 

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reportedly told the Congress that it needed to be more "magnanimous" as the largest Opposition party. Some allies also complained that Congress often took unilateral decisions without proper consultation. 

Several parties also expressed dissatisfaction over the departure of the DMK and questioned Congress's handling of alliance relationships. Allies urged Congress to act like the "glue" holding the bloc together instead of dominating it. 

Mamata Banerjee advised allies to avoid attacking one another in public and washing their dirty linen in public. She added that such exchanges strengthen the BJP's plank that the Opposition is a divided house and incapable of arriving at a consensus, rendering it incapable of governing the country. 

Besides this, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) came up in the discussions during the INDIA bloc meeting. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray urged the Opposition to introspect on why the CJP gained such massive traction among the public, especially young people. 

"Have people lost faith in us?" Thackeray asked, according to The Indian Express. He added that the INDIA bloc should actively raise public issues throughout the year and not just during elections. 

Omar Abdullah said that the INDIA bloc should engage with CJP because the movement must be "doing something right" to attract such support. 

Despite sharp exchanges, the allies agreed on the need to keep the anti-BJP platform intact. A fractious INDIA bloc reinforces the NDA's position in the Lok Sabha and can actually help the BJP move towards a two-thirds majority. It can also help the government to push many ambitious bills and get them cleared. 

The government might return with the amendment bill on women's reservation and delimitation that the INDIA bloc voted against in the last session. The Opposition's inability to unite against the BJP provides the Centre with a cushion to deal with economic issues.