Lok Sabha elections 2024: Can the INDIA Alliance make a significant impact in the upcoming polls?

In recent political discourse, the idea of alliances and coalitions has gained significant traction as nations seek to navigate complex geopolitical challenges and capitalise on opportunities for collaboration. In the context of India, the concept of an I.N.D.I.A. Alliance led by the Congress Party has emerged as a strategic framework aimed at fostering regional integration, promoting economic growth, and advancing India's interests on the global stage.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) is a coalition of 26 political parties to take on the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

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The I.N.D.I.A. Alliance, spearheaded by the Indian National Congress (INC), embodies a vision of inclusive diplomacy, proactive engagement, and multilateral cooperation. Rooted in the principles of pluralism, secularism, and social justice, the alliance seeks to harness India's diverse strengths and capabilities to address pressing domestic and international challenges.

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In the labyrinth of Indian politics, alliances often emerge as vehicles for change, promising progress and prosperity. However, behind the veil of lofty promises and grand visions, lies the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. Alliance, a coalition marred by disagreements. However, the Congress is confident that there are no disagreements or cracks in the alliance and it will dethrone the BJP-led NDA government at Centre.

Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra state assembly and a senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance will stop the victory chariot of BJP. He further said that winds of change were blowing in the country and that Maharashtra would lay the foundation for the BJP's defeat at the national level.

"The atmosphere in the country is favourable for the INDIA bloc and winds of change are blowing. Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana states have such a picture. I.N.D.I.A. Alliance will get a good response. Even in Uttar Pradesh, we will get a good response," Wadettiwar said. "The I.N.D.I.A. Alliance will be successful in dethroning the BJP. The I.N.D.I.A. Alliance will fight with all its strength," he added.

Far from being a beacon of hope, this alliance stands as a stark reminder of political opportunism and misplaced priorities.

With its disparate coalition partners and divergent agendas, the alliance struggles to articulate a clear roadmap for governance and policy implementation. Instead of fostering unity and consensus, internal squabbles and power struggles have paralysed the alliance, rendering it ineffective and impotent in the face of mounting challenges.

With cracks now widening in the opposition alliance, it seems I.N.D.I.A. is losing its grip over India. Before they could reach a seat-sharing formula, the opposition parties are bitterly fighting among themselves instead of fighting their common enemy, the BJP.

The lack of structural cohesion in the alliance is becoming more visible by the day. West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab and Kerala have emerged as challenges for the alliance.

Asserting that there are no cracks in the opposition alliance, Maharashtra Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said, "There are no cracks in I.N.D.I.A. Alliance. In Delhi, Assam and Gujarat we are contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together with alliance partners. Due to some political compulsions, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Arvind Kejriwal in Punjab are contesting alone, which doesn't mean they are not part of I.N.D.I.A. Alliance."

He slammed the BJP for setting a target of winning 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "While the BJP has set the target of 'Abki baar, 400 paar', the saffron party is scared of I.N.D.I.A. Alliance and hence the BJP is "poaching" the leaders from the opposition ranks and it is being done by "scaring" them," Londhe said.

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Speaking about disagreements over seat sharing in the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance, Londhe expressed, "It is okay, this happens in every alliance. But there are no cracks in the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance. The real cracks are there in the BJP and its alliance partners. What happened with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)."

"PM Modi is scared. After the formation of the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance, the BJP made an alliance with 38 political parties. Later, they allied with three more, and till now the BJP hasn't stopped. The I.N.D.I.A. Alliance is united," he added.

Speaking about PM Modi's target of 'Abki baar, 400 paar', Londhe said, "Crossing 150 seats is also difficult for them. They don't want to understand ground reality. Farmers are protesting, sports personalities are protesting, youths are unemployed, inflation, electoral bonds, and many more things like these, so on what basis will people vote for them."

Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said that even though we are underdogs, we are confident we can win this upcoming Lok Sabha elections as an alliance.

"See as much as people are willing to write off the INDIA alliance, the scenario that emerged in 2004 continues to repeat in my head simply because there was a very popular government that was calling for an early election but failed to win the confidence of the people. There was an entire India shining campaign but the people of the country realised that India wasn't shining and there were two Indias that were created. One was for the rich, the other for the poor. In 2024, we are seeing a repeat scenario, where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer," she shared.

"We are seeing schemes that have not really helped or reached to the people who really need it the most. Whether it is about women's safety, whether it is about growing unemployment, whether it is about the expenses, high expense of living, or protesting farmers. So those are challenges that India is facing and we (the I.N.D.I.A. alliance) will continue to talk about that," she added.

Speaking about differences in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, Chaturvedi said, "Yes, we could have differences politically, ideologically, however, in the commitment of a better nation, in the commitment of an inclusive nation, a nation which protects its democracy, protects its constitutional principles, is a most stable idea of India than the one that is being projected by someone who wants to be the only man in charge."

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"Even if you look at the arithmetic on the ground, we are seeing huge unpopularity coming from the southern states for the BJP. Then you have Maharashtra, where people of Maharashtra have seen how they have tried to split various parties have tried to come into government and there's nothing really happening for the people except for the government, the the political parties which are in power continuing to fill their own treasuries, which is unfortunate," she added.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that the Ram Mandir inauguration hasn't helped BJP electorally.

"In Uttar Pradesh, as much as they see that the entire narrative about Ram Mandir isn't really electorally helping them. So that is why I'm pretty confident that coming up with a narrative that speaks for the people of this country is of the people, by the people and for the people will finally get us the confidence as well as the mandate," Chaturvedi said.

Speaking about Mamata Banerjee contesting alone from West Bengal, Chaturvedi said, "Mamata Banerjee is still a part of the alliance. So where she believes that she's in the strongest position to be able to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal and as an alliance partner everybody will stand by her. Similarly, Congress and Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi are in alliance, but in Punjab, they realised that it kind of doesn't make sense for them to contest together. However, they continue to be committed members of the alliance."

She said that PM Modi's target of 'Abki baar, 400 paar' is hypothetical. "It is a hypothetical target. I think considering how they're (BJP) rushing to make alliances and you know, get people to compromise on their ideas is because they're willing to give seats because they're not even confident of reaching the 272. Tell me any confident political party, even if it's secure in its space, would rush to make alliances with people or rush to break parties, rush to eat its own words as they did with Nitish Kumar. What does it say? It speaks of not being sure that they're reaching the target of 272 forget about 400."

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance and asserted that it is an alliance with no vision.

"It is an alliance with no vision and no agenda. I.N.D.I.A. Alliance doesn't have any future plans. Now, people are thinking why should we vote them. So I don't see any future for the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance and it will have no impact on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," said BJP Maharashtra chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye.

When asked if they will achieve PM Modi's target of 'Abki baar, 400 paar', Upadhye said, "Looking at the people's love and affection towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, yes, 100 per cent we will achieve the target. I am confident that people will vote for us in large numbers."

The BJP has successfully chipped at the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. Many Congress allies have faced the wrath of law enforcement agencies controlled by the Modi government, such as the former chief minister of the central state of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, who was arrested in January on corruption-linked charges that he denies.

"The Congress itself is also to blame for parties breaking away from its alliance. Its refusal to adequately accommodate partners in seat-sharing. At the heart of that failure is a challenge that the Congress faces. It wants to collaborate with smaller parties at the moment, but in the long run, wants to compete from all parliamentary seats on its own," a political analyst said.

In addition to these failures, the Congress-led alliance's penchant for identity politics and divisive rhetoric has sown seeds of discord and polarisation within Indian society.

The expert said that its obsession with caste, religion, and regionalism has fueled social tensions and undermined national unity. Rather than promoting inclusivity and tolerance, the alliance has stoked communalism and sectarianism, threatening the fabric of India's pluralistic democracy.