Reconciling Conflicts in India’s Opposition Alliance before Upcoming Elections
New Delhi, India—In a surprising turn of events, Nitish Kumar, the nine-time chief minister of Bihar state, recently broke away from the INDIA opposition alliance and joined forces with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move dealt a blow to the opposition’s prospects of challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming national elections scheduled between March and May. Kumar’s departure highlights deeper divisions within the opposition bloc.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal state and leader of the Trinamool Congress party, also withdrew from the alliance last week. Both Kumar and Banerjee cited disagreements with Congress, the main opposition party, over seat-sharing arrangements as the main reason for their exit. The alliance aims to field a joint opposition candidate in all 543 parliamentary seats to consolidate the anti-BJP votes and prevent vote-splitting among various opposition parties.
However, reaching a consensus on candidate selection has proven to be challenging. Regional parties within the alliance accuse Congress of pressuring them and demanding an excessive number of seats. KC Tyagi, general secretary of JD(U), highlighted Congress’s reluctance to share political space with regional parties, creating discontent among alliance members.
Moreover, Banerjee and Kumar expressed frustration with Congress’s lack of consultation regarding Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide march, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. They argued that Congress should have organized a nationwide program under
