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After Bihar poll loss, sources have indicated that Congress now plans to go solo wherever possible. News18 takes a deep dive into where the INDIA bloc and Congress may be headed
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge (left) and Rahul Gandhi. (PTI File)
With Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav at the helm, the Opposition’s INDIA bloc had assumed they had the perfect formula for success in Bihar.
Instead, what it got was one of its worst performances and a crushing defeat – the RJD, whose Tejashwi was the CM face for the Mahagathbandhan, secured 26 seats, while the Congress managed an embarrassing win of 6 seats.
In the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) victory speech after the November 14 results, PM Narendra Modi reminded people of what he had said after Maharashtra, Haryana and even Delhi assembly poll results. “The Congress is a parasite that brings down even its allies.”
Do the Opposition bloc or INDI allies believe the statement? Will Rahul Gandhi go back to his 2004 slogan of ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, moving away from his mother’s stance of taking everyone together?
Sources have indicated that the Congress now plans to go solo wherever possible. News18 takes a deep dive into where the INDIA bloc and Congress may be headed.
WHY WAS INDIA FORMED? HOW IT GAVE RAHUL GANDHI THE VOICE HE NEEDED AFTER LS POLLS
INDIA or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is a coalition of opposition parties which was formed to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Its key members are Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), left parties (CPI, CPI‑M, CPI‑ML Liberation) and regional parties like Shiv Sena (UBT), IUML, JMM, MDMK, RSP.
Taking a cue from the post-Emergency politics, the bloc was aimed at presenting a unified front to improve electoral chances and avoid splitting of anti-BJP votes. The ideologically diverse parties wanted to be seen as policy alternative to the NDA government. After several hurdles, with even the founding member Nitish Kumar quitting and joining hands with the BJP, it finally came together ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The INDIA bloc won 234 out of 543 seats, but fell short of a majority. Even though the bloc couldn’t form the government, parties felt it had played a key role in limiting BJP to 240 seats, much lower than its projected goal.
Buoyed by what it called a success, the Congress, which emerged as the largest party in the bloc with 99 seats, earned the position of leader of Opposition for Rahul Gandhi. Media reports, too, hailed Rahul Gandhi, and the newfound confidence showed in Parliament.
Gandhi launched strong attacks in Parliament and in his rallies on a myriad range of issues. He alleged “there was a full-scale and systematic assault on the Constitution”, making a small copy of the book as his trademark, which he carried everywhere. Among the other issues raised by Gandhi were how “demonetisation and GST destroyed MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and benefitted large industrialists”, how Agniveer scheme was about treating soldiers as “use‑and‑throw labourer”, NEET-UG, Hindus, handling of China and foreign policy. Then came his fiercest attack on the Election Commission (EC) after the Maharashtra and Haryana results. He said the poll body was indulging in vote chori and then accused the EC of deleting voters’ names through SIR.
The entry of his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, after the Wayanad bypolls, further emboldened him.
3 MAJOR LOSSES BEFORE BIHAR: HOW INDIA BLOC PERFORMED IN STATE POLLS IN 2024
The Lok Sabha post-poll energy proved to be short-lived, as the INDIA bloc lost three major elections.
Maharashtra: The opposition alliance or the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which included Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP, and Shiv Sena (UBT), won only 46 seats against BJP+ group or Mahayuti’s 230 out of 288.
Haryana: In a shocker for the Congress, the INDIA bloc won only 37 seats against BJP’s 48.
Delhi: While the BJP won 48 of the 70 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 22 seats and Congress won 0. Beyond the numbers, the poll mattered as Congress was seen making attempts to eat into AAP votes. Many in the Congress termed attacking an ally fair, justifying it with arguments that formation of the AAP itself was on anti-Congress plank and that state polls were different than Lok Sabha.
Some consolation came in the form of Jharkhand where the INDIA bloc (JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI‑(ML) Liberation) won 56 out of 81 seats. In Jammu & Kashmir, INDIA-aligned alliance (NC + Congress + CPI(M) + JKNPP) won 49 of the 90 seats. In mid‑2024, in bypolls across 7 states, the INDIA bloc won 10 out of 13 assembly seats.
INDIA ALLIES’ REACTION TO BIHAR
Bihar has turned out to be the strongest jolt for the bloc. While the Opposition leaders did not comment on PM’s remark on Congress immediately, their actions spoke louder.
Sources told CNN-News18 that the Congress had sought a meeting before upcoming Parliament session to press its “vote chori” (vote theft) narrative following the Bihar result. However, key allies such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) reportedly showed little interest in joining that effort. The message to Congress, according to sources, was that it can no longer assume leadership of the INDIA bloc.
Then came a rather public blow. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which was very much in favour of the INDIA bloc since its formation, given that the party had also formed a government in Maharashtra which destroyed Uddhav Thackeray’s party and politics, mocked the Congress after it recently announced it will go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. In an editorial in their mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena accused the Congress of flaunting its “national party” credentials in a bid to reassert relevance, even as its performance falters.
WHAT CONGRESS MAY DO NEXT
“There seems to be no need for the INDIA bloc alliance. Gandhis also feel that the bloc is over. State-level seat-sharing can be decided as and when needed,” sources told News18.
भारत जुड़ेगा, INDIA जीतेगा 🇮🇳— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 18, 2023
WHERE CONGRESS STANDS VIS-À-VIS ITS ALLIES
Bengal: The state is bracing for an election next year. The INDIA bloc’s key allies in the state are the Left, Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC). While the Congress is on good terms with the Left, the TMC can’t join hands with them. The same issue that had cropped up during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which had led to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s multiple flip-flops on her support for the alliance. So the Congress may not get into an official alliance with the TMC, which is likely to face a fiercer BJP bolstered by its Bihar success. The TMC has hinted that their leaders deserve to be considered for the bloc’s top post.
Tamil Nadu: The Congress has been seen as warming up to Vijay’s TVK, with reports of senior leaders urging the high command to tap into his influence in Kerala and Puducherry. What fuelled the fire was Gandhi’s call to Vijay after the Karur tragedy. This proximity, according to sources, had led to tension in the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance, as the DMK sees TVK as a challenger. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “hand” remark on stage has only added to the speculation.
Delhi and Punjab: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), although part of the INDI bloc, has always had a blow-hot blow-cold relationship with the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi. While Kejriwal has been seen meeting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge even after his release from jail, the relentless delay over a “cup of tea” with Gandhi, during the formation of INDIA, had exposed how the equations stood. Moreover, Kejriwal had officially announced that he was exiting INDIA bloc after the LS polls.
Uttar Pradesh: While Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) did well in the LS polls as part of INDIA, his party is now keen on being seen as the head of the bloc. Yadav, having learnt a lesson from the Bihar drubbing, may, too, keep a safe distance, say sources, especially ahead of the 2027 polls.
Maharashtra: While the alliance faced a loss in the state polls, the Congress is keen to contest the upcoming Mumbai civic body or Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections solo, away from the INDIA bloc. The dates are yet to be announced. Even as Sena UBT took a dig at Congress in its mouthpiece, Gandhi’s party is seeking to bring the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) on board as an alliance partner in Mumbai. Mumbai Congress chief and Member of Parliament Varsha Gaikwad, along with Congress MLAs from Mumbai — Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh, and Jyoti Gaikwad — met NCP(SP) supremo Sharad Pawar at his Mumbai residence on Wednesday. NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule was also present.
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als…Read More
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als… Read More
November 19, 2025, 18:25 IST
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