Ram Temple Inauguration Sparks Political Upheaval: I.N.D.I.A. Alliance Faces Disintegration

The current state of Indian politics reflects a conspicuous absence of a robust opposition capable of challenging the government. There’s a saying in Hindi: “होईयह उहै जो राम रचि राखा”. The scenario in Indian politics currently favours the BJP led government NDA.

On January 22, 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Pran-Pratishtha ritual at the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. The grand event drew over 8000 VIP attendees, turning the inauguration into a celebration embraced by followers of Rama.

Following the temple inauguration on January 23, 2024, the Election Commission of India issued a notification regarding the General Lok Sabha elections, tentatively scheduled for April 16, 2024. This declaration served as a catalyst, triggering a political tornado within the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, comprising major parties such as Congress, NCP, AAP, and Mamata Banerjee’s TMC.

Mamata Banerjee decided to go solo

On January 23, Mamata Banerjee announced that her party would not engage in seat-sharing with other parties and would independently contest the upcoming elections, embodying the spirit of “ekla chalo re”.

Sources close to Mamta Banerjee, speaking to Team Marksmen on the condition of anonymity, expressed concerns about potential consequences, including the loss of votes from a particular community. The decision to contest elections independently was solidified after discussions with other senior party leaders. The separation of Mamata Banerjee marked the initiation of the disintegration of the INDIA alliance.

AAP parted its way from I.N.D.I.A. alliance

In a setback to the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared its decision to go solo in Punjab for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann confidently stated that AAP would win all 13 seats in Punjab independently.

When questioned about Mamata Banerjee’s decision to go solo in West Bengal, Mann clarified that in Punjab, there would be no alliance with the Congress. The Congress and AAP, allies in the Opposition INDIA alliance, saw Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal approving the Punjab unit’s proposal to contest the general elections alone.

Nitish Kumar rejoins BJP

In an unexpected move, Indian opposition politician Nitish Kumar formed an alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, dealing a blow to the opposition before the upcoming national elections. Despite Kumar’s earlier declarations of avoiding an alliance with the BJP, he resigned as Chief Minister to dissolve his coalition with the RJD and INC, subsequently reappointing himself as Chief Minister with BJP’s support.

“The situation with the alliance was not working,” Kumar stated. “The new Grand Alliance that we created [in August 2022] is not in a good condition, the situation is not looking good.”

With things slowly unravelling for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, it would seem that the BJP is in pole position ahead of the impending general election.