AAP, Congress united on vote chori, divided in states
The most significant signal came from Rahul Gandhi himself about the wider Opposition bloc's unity. He said that even parties that “would not be seen with us” have shown unity and are united on the issue of “vote chori”
Opposition parties are fragmented, with the INDIA bloc leading one faction and others like AAP and DMK forming separate fronts against the BJP due to allegations of electoral process irregularities and questioning the Chief Election Commissioner's role. Rahul Gandhi has pointed to a unifying moment for the opposition on the 'vote chori' issue, bringing parties like AAP into a united front despite their usual rivalries, with Arvind Kejriwal also criticizing the Election Commission for alleged collusion with the BJP. While state-level rivalries in Punjab make a pre-poll alliance improbable, the parties are re-evaluating potential alliances in other regions like Goa, balancing the perceived national threat of the BJP against the complexities of local political dynamics. The shared concern over electoral fairness is seen as a powerful national issue that aligns the interests of these disparate parties against the ruling party.
Opposition parties are fragmented, with the INDIA bloc leading one faction and others like AAP and DMK forming separate fronts against the BJP due to allegations of electoral process irregularities and questioning the Chief Election Commissioner's role. Rahul Gandhi has pointed to a unifying moment for the opposition on the 'vote chori' issue, bringing parties like AAP into a united front despite their usual rivalries, with Arvind Kejriwal also criticizing the Election Commission for alleged collusion with the BJP. While state-level rivalries in Punjab make a pre-poll alliance improbable, the parties are re-evaluating potential alliances in other regions like Goa, balancing the perceived national threat of the BJP against the complexities of local political dynamics. The shared concern over electoral fairness is seen as a powerful national issue that aligns the interests of these disparate parties against the ruling party.
Opposition parties are fragmented, with the INDIA bloc leading one faction and others like AAP and DMK forming separate fronts against the BJP due to allegations of electoral process irregularities and questioning the Chief Election Commissioner's role. Rahul Gandhi has pointed to a unifying moment for the opposition on the 'vote chori' issue, bringing parties like AAP into a united front despite their usual rivalries, with Arvind Kejriwal also criticizing the Election Commission for alleged collusion with the BJP. While state-level rivalries in Punjab make a pre-poll alliance improbable, the parties are re-evaluating potential alliances in other regions like Goa, balancing the perceived national threat of the BJP against the complexities of local political dynamics. The shared concern over electoral fairness is seen as a powerful national issue that aligns the interests of these disparate parties against the ruling party.
There may be several fragments of the Opposition bloc, with one led by the INDIA bloc and a few others comprising separate parties such as the AAP and DMK, which have opened a front against the ruling BJP over a recent investigative piece alleging irregularities in the electoral process and raising questions about the role of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The most significant signal came from Rahul Gandhi himself about the wider Opposition bloc's unity. He said that even parties that “would not be seen with us” have shown unity and are united on the issue of “vote chori”. This brings the AAP into the fold, even though the two parties are rivals in Punjab. Arvind Kejriwal held a press conference targeting the EC, calling the recent electoral losses of opposition parties a product of the collusion between the BJP and the poll panel.
Although there are no chances of a pre-poll alliance between the two parties in Punjab, given their rivalry in the state, the AAP is in power while the Congress is the principal Opposition party. There could have been a possibility of the two parties coming together in Goa, where the AAP was seen as a vote-cutter for the Congress in the last election, securing 6.77 per cent of the vote in the 2022 Assembly elections and winning two of the 40 seats.
But both parties believe that an alliance in Goa could impact the Punjab outcome, as the Opposition could accuse them of being in collusion in Goa while deceiving people in Punjab. Therefore, there are greater chances that both parties will contest separately. However, there is no alliance or rivalry permanent in politics.
“Vote chori is a national issue, and both parties' political space has been taken over by the BJP. The BJP is the main opponent of the AAP in Delhi, the land of Arvind Kejriwal-led party's origin and source of power. For the Congress, the BJP is its principal rival nationally. On the vote chori issue, the interests of both parties match, and therefore they will be pulling all the stops to help each other, directly or indirectly,” a political analyst said.
However, as the 2027 election cycle draws nearer, the two parties are likely to be seen fighting each other in Punjab and possibly in Goa too.
“All the regional parties that have lost elections believe that their elections were stolen by the BJP. Therefore, these regional parties consider the BJP their main enemy and will be fighting collectively against it—in the media, on the streets or in Parliament,” a senior Congress leader said.