The rift between INDIA bloc partners, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide win in the Delhi assembly election 2025, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena said.
An editorial in the mouthpiece of the Sena UBT party, ‘Saamana’, asked as to why was there a need for opposition alliances when their constituents continue to fight with each other instead of against the saffron party.
In the electoral contest for the 70-member Delhi assembly, the BJP wiped the Arvind Kejriwal-led party out of power in the capital by bagging 48 seats. The AAP suffered a massive defeat, securing just 22 seats. Meanwhile, the Congress continued to present a dismal performance, drawing a blank for the third time in a row in the assembly election in Delhi.
The editorial in Saamana read, “In Delhi, both AAP and Congress fought to destroy each other, making things easier for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. If this continues, why even form alliances? Just fight to your heart’s content!”
Both the AAP and Congress had taken several potshots at each other throughout the campaigning for the Delhi election.
Similar setbacks in Maharashtra, Haryana
Similar setbacks among opposition parties brought dismay in Maharashtra as well, with the BJP-led coalition winning the 2024 state assembly polls, it added.
The Marathi daily further claimed that if the opposition parties failed to learn from the Delhi election results, then it would only strengthen what it described as the “autocratic rule” under Modi and Shah.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also took a jibe on both the grand old party and AAP over their defeat after contesting against each other. “Aur lado aapas mein!!! (Keep on fighting each other),” the National Conference leader said in a post X.
The editorial further claimed that a similar situation had also broken out in Haryana during the assembly election last year which, also was won by the BJP. It asked whether internal elements within the Congress deliberately undermined the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
‘Saamana’ also criticised veteran social activist Anna Hazare for his remarks against Arvind Kejriwal, highlighting that the former’s own anti-corruption movement once paved the way for the AAP chief’s rise in politics.
Hazare, last month, had urged the voters of Delhi to pick those with clean character and thoughts, the ones who can sacrifice for the country and take on insults.
“Hazare remained silent on alleged corruption under the Modi government, including controversies surrounding the Rafale deal and the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group. Modi’s so called Amritkal is based only on deceit and corruption. He has gathered all dubious people together and is running the show in Maharashtra as well as in the country,” the editorial alleged.
‘Keep fighting among yourselves!’
It further said that the loss in Delhi elections directly affected the democratic processes in the country. Even in Maharashtra, Congress leaders of the local circuit had stretched seat-sharing talks till the end, and it ended up portraying a chaotic picture.
The disunity among opposition parties in Maharashtra and Delhi directly helped the saffron camp, the editorial in the Marathi publication added.
In a sarcastic tone, the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece said, “If this is how things are going to be, there is no need to form alliances at all. Just keep fighting among yourselves! If no one is going to learn a lesson from the Delhi assembly elections, then such people can earn the credit of helping autocracy to gain power. There will be no need to even take a dip in the Ganga river for doing such noble work.”
(with PTI inputs)