It’s not just the EVMs, they are blaming each other now. The INDI Alliance has been led by Rahul Gandhi of the Congress through a series of setbacks and some are not having any more of it. On their own, most parties are doing alright on their respective turfs. It is only where they have to benefit from each other’s votebanks that it is not working out well, at all. It is only natural for the constituents to think that, perhaps, the alliance needs a rethink, or at least its leadership should go into other hands. TMC’s Mamata Banerjee is willing.
It needs to be acknowledged that, at the present, the BJP is a better organised party that manages to shift gears when needed. Its strategy is based on its Hindutva plank, and it does not stray too far from it. Not like the Samajwadi Party that was willing to ride on the back of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra as long as it promised a share of power but can no longer tolerate the Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena. Was it unaware of that party’s stance on the Babri Masjid demolition earlier?
What works at the state level does not necessarily do so at the national level. If it is the ideology that is the limiting factor, it should be accordingly modified. The INDI Alliance was a good start in this regard, but the right ideological mix has not been worked out. It has been mostly determined by the Congress that has jumped from the caste census to the revive-Socialism demands to the present ‘save the Constitution’ campaign. This does not necessarily match with the priorities of the regional parties.
Perhaps, if the Congress goes it alone, India’s opposition may fare better. Post-poll alliances would be better than the present confusion where parties are together in some states and confronting each other elsewhere. The AAP-Congress equation is one example, as there are many others. It will also prevent the Congress from taking over political space from smaller players, just as the BJP does with its alliances. The people, too, will have more choices instead of being forced into one or the other camp. (Indians should also vote more independents with the required credentials into office, who would not be compelled to back one or the other alliance in Parliament.) It is an evolving process being shaped by the power of the people’s vote – parties should be able to read the signs.
