Indian politics is a masterclass in theatrics, where alliances are as stable as a house of cards in a hurricane. While the much-hyped Congress-led Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc seems to be falling apart faster than a poorly glued pottery project, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is basking in the glow of newfound camaraderie. The script practically writes itself, doesn’t it?
Once touted as a formidable force, the INDIA bloc made a strong start—or so they claimed—with the Congress bagging 99 seats and their allies crossing the 200-mark. Pundits opined that they might give the wafer-thin NDA majority a run for its money. Alas, reality bites. Turns out, political alliances built on mistrust and opportunism aren’t exactly pillars of strength.
Take Chandrababu Naidu, the political weathervane of Andhra Pradesh. Back in the day, Naidu stomped out of the NDA when the Centre dared ask for transparency regarding funds for the Polavaram project and the state’s new capital. The man who’d long marketed himself as the “CEO of Andhra Pradesh” couldn’t stomach being questioned. With a dramatic flourish, he pulled his party’s ministers out of Modi’s cabinet, leaving the likes of Ashok Gajapathi Raju, a respected Civil Aviation Minister, in the lurch.
Naidu’s misadventures didn’t stop there. He cozied up to the Congress—yes, the same Congress he’d spent decades vilifying. Predictably, this gamble backfired spectacularly. In the 2019 elections, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP obliterated the TDP, leaving Naidu nursing his wounds. Adding insult to injury, Naidu found himself embroiled in graft cases and even spent time in jail, courtesy of the YSRCP government.
But hey, politics is nothing if not a game of second chances. Wisdom (or desperation) seems to have dawned on Naidu. With a gentle nudge from a well-meaning journalist, Naidu appears to have realized that dumping the BJP and jumping into bed with the Congress was a political suicide note. Now, in an apparent act of repentance, he’s singing paeans to Prime Minister Modi and inching back into the NDA fold much stronger. “Better late than never,” quipped one observer, “but let’s not forget the years squandered in political purgatory.”
Naidu isn’t the only one scrambling to fix broken alliances. Nitish Kumar, the ever-ambitious Chief Minister of Bihar, is another classic case. Kumar’s bromance with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was doomed from the start. Aligning with a convicted leader whose name is synonymous with corruption? Bold strategy, Cotton. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t end well. Kumar’s lofty dreams of uniting 28 Opposition parties to challenge Modi fizzled out faster than a damp firecracker in his bid to become the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Opposition. And when the Congress hijacked his “unity” efforts, Nitish found himself on the sidelines, watching his own political ambitions go up in smoke.
Meanwhile, Congress’s internal woes are the gift that keeps on giving. With Rahul Gandhi at the helm, allies are questioning whether the Grand Old Party even has a future. States like Haryana and Maharashtra, where the BJP put up stellar performances, have only deepened the cracks within the INDIA bloc. The cherry on this political cake? The Congress’s embarrassing zero in Andhra Pradesh.
Even erstwhile NDA allies like the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) are having second thoughts about their choices. After a dismal showing in Maharashtra, the Sena seems to be rethinking its dalliance with the Congress as the NCP is moving faster to buy peace with its own breakaway faction led by Ajit Pawar, who put up a better show than the party’ founder and his uncle Sharad Pawar in the recent assembly polls. The allure of “power at any cost” has clearly worn thin.
Amidst this political chaos, the NDA is looking stronger than ever. Naidu’s recent overtures to Modi are particularly telling. At a public function, he heaped praise on the Prime Minister, calling him a “global leader” and crediting him for India’s economic rise. Modi’s witty response, likening Naidu’s speech to hitting sixes, underscored the growing bonhomie between the two.
With an impressive strike rate in recent elections and allies seemingly back in line, the NDA is poised emerge much stronger than before. Modi’s charisma and the BJP’s organizational might continue to overshadow the fragmented Opposition. As for the Congress? It seems stuck in a Groundhog Day loop of self-destruction, leaving the INDIA bloc to flounder.
In the end, Indian politics remains a tale of shifting loyalties, fragile egos, and the occasional comeback. As the NDA consolidates and the Opposition unravels, one thing is clear: the Congress’s role as a national force is fast becoming a relic of history. The moral of the story? In politics, as in life, timing is everything. And right now, the clock is ticking loudly for the Opposition.
