Why Maharashtra, Jharkhand poll results are a pivotal moment for Congress, future of Opposition unity

Despite the BJP-led NDA forming the authorities astatine the Centre, the Opposition confidence was sky-high till the “unexpected” Haryana results took the upwind retired of the sails of the Congress, the INDIA bloc’s de facto leader. The BJP triumph successful Haryana besides enactment the thought of Opposition unity successful tatters arsenic the “irresponsible” Congress came nether onslaught from allies for its mediocre show.

With its momentum losing steam, Saturday volition beryllium cardinal for the Congress arsenic good arsenic galore parties of the INDIA bloc. The battlegrounds this clip are Maharashtra, a authorities wherever the BJP suffered its heaviest losses successful the Lok Sabha polls, and Jharkhand.

Under the banner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) successful Maharashtra, the three-party grouping — the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) — won 30 (and a rebel who aboriginal supported the alliance) of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the BJP reeling portion successful Jharkhand, the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) harvester managed to triumph 5 of the spot 14 seats, each ST-reserved.

Pawar, Thackeray governmental aboriginal connected the line

The Congress is desperately seeking a triumph nether its loop aft its Haryana drubbing to reframe its communicative that the BJP is connected the diminution and volition privation to amended its Lok Sabha show successful the authorities which is important politically successful presumption of resources and heft.

On the different hand, for NCP (SP) main Sharad Pawar and Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, whose parties saw splits successful 2023 and 2022, respectively, the result is apt to marque oregon interruption their contiguous governmental future.

A triumph successful Maharashtra volition besides springiness bragging rights to the Opposition arsenic it volition pouch a ample authorities similar Maharashtra. Also, determination are scores to settle. After all, it was successful Maharashtra wherever the BJP dealt the biggest stroke to the Opposition by engineering splits successful 2 parties and bringing down the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.

While losing Maharashtra could harm the cohesion of the INDIA bloc, a triumph could re-energise the Opposition campy with galore of its leaders believing that it could dilatory down the BJP’s “predatory politics”.

The Opposition believes its “save the Constitution” communicative yielded maximum results successful Maharashtra and hence would spot Saturday’s results arsenic a referendum to the narrative, particularly aft the Congress and Rahul Gandhi erstwhile again made it a focal constituent of the MVA run on with an assertive backward caste pitch.

As the fates of Pawar and Thackeray bent successful the balance, the Congress’s show volition besides illustration the people for its campaigns centred astir the Constitution, caste census, and accrued reservations for Dalits, STs and OBCs. A mediocre showing could besides dampen the spirits of the party, which is raring to instrumentality connected the BJP successful Parliament implicit the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani successful the US successful the upcoming Winter Session.

In a motion that it is leaving thing to accidental successful lawsuit of hung verdicts and sending retired a proactive message, the Congress connected Friday appointed 3 observers each for the result-bound states. Two erstwhile CMs — Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) — on with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara volition oversee post-results affairs successful Maharashtra. For Jharkhand, it has appointed Katihar MP Tariq Anwar, Telangana Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu and AICC associated Secretary Krishna Allavaru arsenic observers.

With the BJP aggressively playing the Hindutva paper successful Maharashtra with slogans similar “batenge toh katenge (divided, we fall)” and “ek hain toh harmless hain (united, we are safe)”, and raking up the contented of alleged infiltration successful Jharkhand, victories successful some states volition travel arsenic a suspiration of alleviation for the Opposition, which has truthful acold struggled to antagonistic its rival’s Hindutva politics.

On the different hand, the Opposition could task a triumph successful Jharkhand arsenic “people’s reply to the BJP’s vendetta politics” portion hoping that it would dilatory down the beardown limb of probe agencies.

With the BJP playing the polarising infiltration paper and projecting erstwhile CM Champai Soren — who switched from the JMM to the BJP — arsenic 1 of its cardinal faces, the Opposition volition keenly ticker these seats, particularly successful the Kolhan portion of the authorities wherever the BJP fared poorly successful the 2019 polls. The Congress, with its Dalit-tribal narrative, is hoping that it tin forestall the displacement of votes from these communities.