Delhi polls 2025: Cracks widen in INDIA bloc
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Ahead of the Delhi polls on February 5, the key allies of the INDIA bloc --the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are at loggerheads and the internal rift among the coalition appears to be only widening.
With tensions escalating between the two parties, Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit from the New Delhi seat said that he is set to file defamation lawsuits against Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday after they accused him of receiving funds from the BJP.
This came after an acrimonious war of words between former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress veterans Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken.
Earlier, AAP had threatened to ask INDIA bloc members to expel the Congress if it fails to take action against Ajay Maken.
However, the row exposed the widening fissures in the coalition after other bloc partners, the Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Uddhav Thackarey’s Shiv Sena, came out in support of Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, who is eying a third consecutive term in the battle for Delhi.
“We have your back, Aam Aadmi Party,” said TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien in an X post extending support to Kejriwal.
With 37 and 29 seats in Lok Sabha, the SP and TMC play a crucial role in the alliance. Their support for the AAP will push the Congress further into isolation after its debilitating defeat in the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections.
The latest blow for the grand old party came from its Jammu and Kashmir ally National Conference (NC) and the Bihar ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) who raised questions on the leadership tussles and the relevance of the grouping, which was formed in June 2023 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls with the motto of removing the BJP government from power.
On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for clarity on the future of the INDIA bloc and suggested that the alliance should be called off if its purpose was limited to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The statement only appears to deepen the chill in the Congress-National Conference ties, set in after the recent assembly elections, which they fought together. Abdullah also questioned the lack of co- ordination among the allies.
“As far as I remember, there was no time limit to the INDIA alliance. Unfortunately, no INDIA alliance meeting is being organized so there is no clarity about leadership, agenda, or the bloc's existence... They should wind up the alliance in case it was just for the Parliament elections,” he told the media.
He also pointed out that the last meeting of the INDIA bloc was held immediately after the Lok Sabha results. “There has been no formal or informal sort of work that has been done for the coalition", he said. Recently, Abdullah had asked Congress to “not take the leadership for granted.”
Claiming that there is no clarity regarding the main leadership, the party, or the agenda for future strategy in the INDIA bloc), he said, “Whether this alliance will continue is also unclear.”
He also pointed out that the last meeting of the INDIA bloc was held immediately after the Lok Sabha results. “There has been no formal or informal sort of work that has been done for the coalition", he said. Recently, Abdullah had asked Congress to “not take the leadership for granted.”
Claiming that there is no clarity regarding the main leadership, the party, or the agenda for future strategy in the INDIA bloc), he said, “Whether this alliance will continue is also unclear.”
Significantly, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav aired similar views when asked about AAP and Congress contesting the Delhi polls separately.
"It is not unusual. In the Lok Sabha election, the main motto of the INDIA bloc was to defeat the BJP, and the grouping was formed for that purpose. So, it is not unnatural for the Congress and AAP to have differences."
However, the Bihar ally’s response seems to be an ominous signal for the Congress on the seat-sharing pact ahead of the assembly elections, scheduled for October-November 2025.
Adding to the trouble, Congress’ Maharashtra ally Shiv Sena-UBT has also backed the AAP. Its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut criticized Congress for using the ‘antinational’ label against Kejriwal. "Kejriwal served as the Delhi CM for 10 years. When the BJP uses such labels against Congress leaders, we oppose them. However, Congress using the same label for their ally during campaigning is wrong. Fighting the elections against each other is fine, but there should be dignity and patience because we have to come together sooner or later," Raut had said.
The Congress — which sees itself as the fulcrum of opposition unity — has been facing isolation since its demanding ally TMC chief Mamata Banerjee signaled her intent to take charge of the alliance if given the opportunity. The fissures in the alliance were apparent during the just concluded winter session of Parliament when SP flexed muscles and distanced itself from joining Congress in raising the ‘Adani issue’, in Parliament.
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