Internal conflicts within the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc are escalating over seat-sharing and Congress’ waning influence.
New Delhi: The Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc is showing signs of internal friction as several of its regional partners express dissatisfaction with the way Congress is handling the alliance, ahead of Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly elections. In various states, one or more of these allies are unhappy with Congress’s approach, particularly where Congress lacks significant ground support or organisational strength.
For instance, in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, Congress’s presence has weakened over the years. Regional parties dominate these states, but Congress is still pressuring its allies to allocate more seats for it in the upcoming Assembly elections. This demand has created tension, as regional parties believe they are better positioned to win elections in these states. Instead of acknowledging its weak position in these areas, Congress is reportedly trying to assert itself over the regional parties, which has led to growing dissatisfaction within the alliance.
Many of these regional parties feel that Congress’s actions are counterproductive and may harm the overall prospects of the alliance in the long run. The ongoing struggle for seat-sharing is one of the key reasons behind the cracks that are beginning to appear in the alliance. Despite the intent to form a united front against their common political adversaries, the internal power struggles are creating uncertainty about the future cohesion of the I.N.D.I. A. alliance.
The rift within the alliance became publicly visible after the Haryana Assembly elections, where Congress once again failed in a direct contest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Following this defeat, Congress’s allies in Maharashtra began reconsidering the seat-sharing agreement, as Congress had been pushing for a larger share of seats. However, after the significant loss in Haryana, Congress softened its stance and started reevaluating how many seats it should realistically contest.
In the wake of the defeat, some of Congress’s allies began voicing concerns, arguing that Congress should take a secondary role in alliances for upcoming elections. Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), remarked that the outcome in Haryana could impact seat-sharing talks in Maharashtra. She stressed that regional parties like Shiv Sena (UBT) have been carrying much of the burden in various states.
Similarly, Samajwadi Party (SP) national spokesperson I.P. Singh said that while the party has always respected its partners in alliances, Congress has done the opposite. He pointed to the situation in Haryana, where SP had wanted to contest in areas where its presence among non-Jat voters is strong. However, Congress’s inflexibility prevented SP from participating, leading to Congress’s defeat to the BJP. Singh also noted a similar situation in Maharashtra, where SP again wanted to contest, but Congress refused to accommodate them. As a result, SP has decided to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently, and they have already released their first list of candidates.
Singh further criticised Congress’s rigid stance in Uttar Pradesh, where despite Congress’s weak ground presence, SP was willing to offer them one or two seats for the upcoming by-elections. Yet, Congress continues to push for more seats in areas where they lack support or organisational strength. He concluded by stating that Congress is damaging the I.N.D.I. A. alliance due to its inflexible attitude.
Moreover, a similar situation is unfolding in West Bengal, where the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has already announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections without consulting its partners in the I.N.D.I. A. alliance. This mirrors the scenario in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where TMC contested all 42 seats in the state independently. In contrast, Congress formed an alliance with the Left but managed to win only one seat, Maldaha Dakshin, while the Left failed to secure any of the seats.
In light of the Lok Sabha results, Congress has since changed its state leadership and softened its stance towards TMC, recognising Banerjee’s crucial role in the national alliance. In an effort to maintain harmony with TMC, Congress is reconsidering its alliance with the Left in West Bengal. As Congress’s past alliances with the Left have caused friction with Banerjee, whose TMC—also part of the I.N.D.I. A. alliance—had refused to enter a seat-sharing deal with Congress for the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. The party is now preparing to contest the upcoming bypolls alone, with elections scheduled in six Assembly constituencies on November 13. The state Congress unit has already shortlisted candidates for all six seats and sent the names to the central leadership for approval.
This growing tension between Congress and the Left comes just over five weeks after the passing of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who had a strong influence on Rahul Gandhi. Earlier this week, the Left Front announced its candidates for five of the six Assembly seats in West Bengal that will go to bypolls on November 13. According to Left Front chairman Biman Bose, the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) will contest the Sitai seat, RSP will contest Madarihat, CPI will contest Medinipur, the CPI (ML)-Liberation will contest Naihati, and CPI(M) will contest Taldangra.
A source from the Left Front mentioned that discussions are ongoing with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) regarding the sixth constituency, Haroa. Currently, neither Congress nor Left have any MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly, while the ISF holds one seat.
Reports of a rift within the I.N.D.I. A. alliance have also emerged from Jharkhand, where Congress is preparing to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in partnership with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Left. However, Congress has upset its allies, RJD and the Left, by deciding to claim a larger share of seats, leaving only 11 seats for RJD and the Left-wing partners. Of the 70 seats, Congress and JMM will contest together, JMM is expected to take 41 seats, while Congress will contest 29.