Many political analysts though appear sceptical about the agreement in light of the “ego clashes” and “rift” between the two major INDIA allies, Congress and Samajwadi Party, which became visible during last year’s Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. They say that such differences, if allowed to fester, could lead to the defeat of the INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha elections, just like what happened in MP.
Shashikant Pandey, head of the political science department at Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, compared contesting elections to the functioning of a machine. “In the case of a machine, all its components have to work in a set direction to yield maximum results. Similarly, in the case of an alliance, the coordination between the parties, at all levels, plays a major role in yielding positive results. However, going by past experiences, the coordination between the INDIA bloc partners is doubtful in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls,” Pandey told News18.
Congress and SP’s strained ties first became visible during the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, which political analysts had called a litmus test for the allies ahead of the 2024 general elections. Both parties are part of the INDIA front, stitched up to fight against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls.
At the time of the formation of the alliance, the partners had passed a resolution stating that seat-sharing would be based on the spirit of “give and take”, Pandey pointed out. “While the talks, resolutions, and vows were meant for the Lok Sabha polls, the effects were visible much in advance in the 2023 assembly elections in five states — Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram,” he added.
In the first signs of rift, the Congress and SP fought over four assembly seats in MP, as the seat-sharing talks failed to reach a consensus. The Congress contested 230 seats and the SP 71. Chitrangi, Medgaon, Bhander, and Raj Nagar saw a tussle between the two parties. In 2018, the Congress had won all these seats, barring Chitrangi. The party also announced a candidate from the Bijawar assembly seat, which the SP had won in the 2018 polls.
The two parties, however, performed poorly in the assembly polls. The SP failed to win any seat and ended up with its worst-ever vote share — a mere 0.46%. The Congress, which was hopeful of a victory, managed to secure just 66 seats, while the BJP cruised to a two-thirds majority, winning 163 seats.
SK Dwivedi, former head of the department of political science at the University of Lucknow, said the defeat of the INDIA allies in the MP elections escalated the blame game between the two parties. The Samajwadi Party blamed the Congress’s ego and alleged crass remarks by its Madhya Pradesh president Kamal Nath about SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for the rout of the grand old party.
“Ramdhari Singh Dinkar famously said when destruction befalls a person, conscience dies first. The loss of Madhya Pradesh is due to the indecent statements given by Kamal Nath ji about our national president, Akhilesh Yadav ji. It is true for other places also where the Congress lost; their leaders become egoistic,” SP spokesperson Manoj Singh Kaka had said.
The Samajwadi Party also said that whenever the Congress humiliates Dalits, backward classes, and marginalised sections, it will have to bite the dust.
Congress’s UP chief Ajay Rai slammed the Samajwadi Party and said that instead of taking advantage of the situation, it should have come forward and supported his party in the regions where the SP is considered strong. Instead, he said, the SP looked to dent his party’s vote base by fielding candidates on Congress-dominated seats.
Dwivedi said that the INDIA bloc’s agenda to stop the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls can only be achieved if both the Congress and SP not only come up with a good seat-sharing formula but also unite in a true sense and focus on the bigger goal.
“Also, the parties should keep their egos aside in order to make a mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, which is certainly not going to be an easy nut to crack for the INDIA bloc,” he said.
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